Chapter 112 strangle to death
Inside Zhaoshan Residence, Li Rong sat on a round stool, lost in thought.
Qiu Hui was drying her hair.
She was wearing a gorgeous new dress.
Gold and silver threads.
Upon entering the Marquis's residence, she was thoroughly searched from head to toe, and the dagger hidden in her sleeve was taken away by the nanny in charge of the body search.
Qiu Hui took her to wash up, saying that one should be clean and tidy when meeting the master, as it is the rule.
From head to toe, she had no more weapons on her.
She couldn't possibly have hurt him in the slightest.
"Rongrong!"
The moment Lin Xiaocong's joyful voice reached her ears, she looked up.
He stood outside the door, his smile gentle and harmless.
Li Rong stood up without realizing it.
The bright smile that used to grace her face was gone, and her eyes held a mixture of fear and hatred as she looked at him.
He entered the room, his voice softening: "Did Qiufeng scare you?"
She unconsciously stepped back, tripped over the round stool, and almost fell.
Qiu Hui, who was standing next to her, helped her up.
He stopped approaching and went into the inner room.
Qiu Hui helped her sit down and simply tied her hair into a bun.
Then he ordered someone to serve her the meal and led her to the dining hall.
Dinner is served.
Qiu Hui served her food, but she didn't move.
Qiu Hui advised, "Now that you've entered the Marquis's mansion, the only way to achieve your goal is to win over the young master's heart."
When Lin Xiaocong reappeared, he was wearing a loose-fitting casual outfit and his hair was half-wet.
As he rubbed his head with a towel, he said, "Rongrong doesn't need to wait for me for meals anymore."
Li Rong stood up and looked at him.
He sat down opposite her, giving her a safe distance.
She did indeed relax.
He put the towel aside, and a maid took it away.
The table was laden with delicacies, all of which were Li Rong's favorites.
Qiu Hui invited Li Rong to sit down.
Li Rong sat down.
Lin Xiaocong picked out a female crab: "The crabs from the East China Sea are at their fattest and most delicious during this season."
He acted as if nothing had happened.
Li Rong looked at him.
His expression was ordinary as he skillfully peeled the crab.
She didn't even know how to use the tools he used to peel crabs.
Qiuju carefully placed a bowl of white fungus and lotus seed soup in front of Li Rong.
She was curious about how different a woman could be if her master took a liking to her, but the atmosphere was not right, so she didn't dare to be presumptuous and respectfully stepped aside.
Lin Xiaocong's hands moved swiftly, and he neatly dismembered a crab, piling the crab meat into a small mountain on the plate.
He put down his crab-peeling tools, and four maids served him, one carrying water and the other a towel, to help him wash his hands.
Well-organized.
This is completely different from her usual casual, carefree atmosphere at home, where she washes her hands at the table.
A strong sense of constraint enveloped my heart.
It was as if by sitting here, she too should become one of those orderly people.
After cleaning his hands, Lin Xiaocong picked up the crab meat plate, stood up, and handed it to her. He then naturally sat down next to her.
"Try it, it's just as good as the seafood at Yuzhenlou Restaurant in Hezhou."
Li Rong ignored him.
"Eat your food properly, and I'll grant you one request, anything."
Li Rong's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and she turned to look at him: "Really?"
Lin Xiaocong saw her eyes light up and nodded with a smile: "Really?"
“Then from now on…” she avoided his gaze, “you are not allowed to take liberties with me.”
Seeing her shy expression, Lin Xiaocong smiled and sighed, "Your request is too difficult."
"but……"
Li Rong looked at him again, her eyes sparkling.
"If you kiss me first, I'll say yes."
She turned her head away at him: "Shameless."
Lin Xiaocong reached out to take her hand, but she dodged it.
He tugged at her sleeve and shook it gently: "Rongrong, don't be angry anymore. I'll apologize to you, okay?"
She pulled her sleeve back, turned to look at him, and leaned in to kiss him as if facing death.
He chuckled and raised his hand to block her mouth from approaching.
"That's not how you kiss."
He pushed the chair back, pulled her onto his lap, and forced her to sit on his lap with her knees apart, then smiled and looked up at her.
"So intimate."
The pose was too suggestive, and Li Rong resisted.
"Rongrong, are you sure you don't want to kiss me?"
Li Rong felt that kissing him was still the better deal.
Moreover, he didn't specify where he would kiss.
She kissed his cheek.
He leaned back in his chair, a low, cheerful laugh emanating from his voice, which made Qiu Hui and Qiu Ju unable to help but look up at him.
The master rarely laughs out loud.
"I've already kissed you." Li Rong tried to get off his lap.
"If you fool me, then I'll fool you in the future."
Li Rong paused in her movement as she tried to get off his lap.
He just waited for her like that.
She thought for a moment, then sat down again, lowered her eyes, and moved closer to his lips.
The moment their lips touched, Lin Xiaocong lifted his back from the chair, grabbed the back of her head with one hand and pressed her waist with the other, pushing her into his arms.
That's the feeling he wanted.
Proactive, shy, yet increasingly unable to control herself.
That's what makes it interesting.
He kissed her gently, his palms drawing her closer and closer to him.
When Li Rong realized he was pressing against her, she started to push him away.
He obediently released the back of her head, his hand still pressing on her waist.
Her face flushed red. She pressed her hands against his chest, lowered her long eyelashes to avoid looking at him, and said, embarrassed and annoyed, "Let go!"
Lin Xiaocong felt a painful tightness in his chest.
He smiled as he looked at the easily fooled woman in his arms.
He coaxed her, "Rongrong, will you be with me?"
Li Rong shook her head; the more she tried to break free, the tighter he held her hand.
Unable to break free from him, she turned her head away from him and dared not make any further moves, her eyes gradually reddening with humiliation.
He said, "I'm sorry, it was wrong of me to lie to you."
He tried to explain the current situation between the two of them to her.
“My father stationed troops in Hejian, and my eldest to sixth brothers guarded the entire defense line from Hejian to Qingzhou.”
"The Lin family is a knife that the Xiao family uses to guard against the Zhou family in the south."
“Your third sister is the legal wife of the Third Master of the Southern Lands. If I marry you, we will be brothers-in-law.”
"How will the Xiao family view the Lin family? How will the entire court view the Lin family?"
“A single memorial from the Censorate, suspected of being a trespasser, could bring disaster upon my entire Lin family.”
Li Rong looked at him and said, "Does that mean that since I'm with you without any official status, the Censorate won't suspect you?"
He wiped away her tears with his fingertips.
"Hua Yang is not good with words, he will definitely tell others that I lied to you."
"At that time, everyone will know that I, Lin Xiaocong, tricked Zhou Sanye's aunt into becoming his woman."
"Who dares to question the fact that we've blatantly offended Master Zhou?"
Li Rong shook her head: "Since your family cannot be related to the Zhou family by marriage, you should not bother me."
"Rongrong, I like you, can't you feel it?"
"You like me, but I don't like you."
"Nonsense, have you forgotten that you said our feelings developed over time?"
"When did I say that!"
“In Hezhou Prison, you told your third sister that you had developed feelings for her over time.”
Li Rong had no recollection at all: "That was probably something I told my third sister."
Lin Xiaocong twirled her hair with his fingers: "Who said that's nonsense?"
"Have you forgotten how, in Hezhou Prison, I treated your foot injury, you chatted with me, and brought me meals every single day?"
"I stopped talking to you after that. Don't you understand what I mean?"
"I understand, it's my fault for staying in Hezhou Prison for too long and not being able to come out and keep you company."
He coaxed her softly, "I'll be with you every day from now on. Let's live a good life together, okay?"
Li Rong shook her head: "If I follow you without a name or status, I'll be a lowly concubine if I live in this mansion, and an outsider if I live outside, I'll be even less than a lowly concubine."
"People will laugh at my parents."
“If my eldest sister’s and third sister’s in-laws knew, they would laugh at and look down on my sisters.”
She pushed him.
He took her hand and pressed it to his heart: "Although you are with me without any status or title, I will not take a wife or concubine."
"You will be my only woman, in name only, in reality."
"A smart person wouldn't fail to understand."
"We'll just quietly live our lives and have two children."
"It has nothing to do with the Marquis's affairs, nor with the affairs of the southern region."
"Isn't that delightful?"
Li Rong: "Don't even think about lying to me again!"
"You have to give me a chance to prove myself."
"Who cares if you prove something that has no official status?"
They couldn't reach an agreement.
Lin Xiaocong sighed and let go of her: "Let's eat first."
She fled from his embrace as if escaping.
He also got up and sat back in his previous seat.
He picked up his chopsticks and coaxed her to eat: "My dear Rong'er, eat well, and I'll let you go home to see your parents tomorrow."
Qiu Hui picked up her chopsticks and presented them to Li Rong with both hands: "Second Miss, the Marquis's mansion has strict rules. Without the young master's permission, you cannot leave the mansion to see your parents."
Li Rong then sat down to eat.
She usually loves to eat, and she eats a lot but doesn't gain weight.
But I can't eat anything tonight.
Lin Xiaocong ate slowly, keeping her company.
Qiu Hui brought the bowl of lotus seed and white fungus soup to Li Rong.
Li Rong stirred it with a spoon and ate it in small bites.
Lin Xiaocong's gaze shifted from the bowl of white fungus soup to her red lips, which were holding a spoon.
When she looked over, he lowered his eyelashes, concealing the possessiveness that he couldn't hide in his eyes.
If Grandmother finds out tomorrow that she is still a virgin, she will definitely send her away.
*
The meal was eaten quietly, with only the barely perceptible clinking of cutlery.
After finishing a bowl of white fungus soup, Li Rong put down her chopsticks.
Qiu Hui brought her a teacup, which she picked up, took a sip, and said, "Thank you."
"Second Miss, please come with me."
Where to go?
"The young master has prepared a gift for you. Please take a look and see if you like it."
Given the choice between being in the same space as Lin Xiaocong and looking at inanimate objects, she chose the latter.
She got up and left her seat to go to the main room, where she saw a beautiful set of jewelry on the table.
This did not make her happy.
She tentatively asked Qiu Hui, "Can I only go home if he agrees?"
"Yes, Second Miss, you can't even leave your courtyard if the young master doesn't agree."
Li Rong sat down at the table: "Where shall I stay tonight?"
Qiu Hui glanced at Li Rong: "Young Master has no arrangements."
Li Rong clutched her sleeve in fear.
She wasn't sure if it was because of her nervousness, but she suddenly felt a surge of heat in her heart.
A vague, indescribable discomfort gradually crept over my body.
She lay down on the table.
Qiu Hui walked outside, and she stood up and called out to her, "Miss Qiu Hui."
But then they saw Lin Xiaocong standing at the door.
Li Rong stood up and looked at him: "I think I'm sick."
Lin Xiaocong entered, Qiu Hui bowed and withdrew, closing the door behind her.
He approached her step by step, and although she was clearly afraid of him getting closer, she didn't flinch.
He went up to her and lowered his head to kiss her lips.
Her body responded to him.
He reached out to untie her belt.
She rationally raised her hand to stop him, but when his large hand touched her waist, her hand that was stopping him fell back down.
The figure looks like it's been torn in two.
Her clothes came undone, and he went to untie his belt.
She staggered away from him: "What did you do to me?"
He stepped forward, embraced her, and kissed her cheek and earlobe: "My dear Rong'er, Grandmother wants to see you tomorrow."
"She will break us up."
"We've made it a fait accompli."
"It left her helpless."
She tried to push him, but couldn't budge him an inch.
She yelled at him, "You big liar!"
He clung to her, teasing her, and gently asked, "My dear Rong'er, where do you like it, the table, or the bed?"
He threw off his belt, his clothes came undone, and he pinned her to the table and kissed her.
The medicinal effects of the white fungus and snow pear soup made by Qiu Ju are as good as ever.
She couldn't resist the effects of the drug; she was crying, yet she was also enjoying it.
Contradictory, yet beautiful.
"Let's go to bed for the first time."
He carried her to the bed that had been prepared beforehand.
He got his wish and bullied her.
*
Outside Zhaoshan Residence, autumn maple trees stand guard at the courtyard gate.
Lin Xiaocong's order to him was: "If even a fly flies in and disturbs me, it's your fault."
So when Granny Yue arrived, Qiu Feng vowed to never let anyone in.
Granny Yue frowned: "How dare you! She's just relaying the old lady's message to Qiu Hui to retrieve something."
Qiu Feng: "Young Master instructed that if you come looking for Miss Qiu Hui, please wait a moment."
Granny Yue waited for a while.
Before long, Qiu Hui came to her with a box in her hands.
Granny Yue asked, puzzled, "What is it?"
Qiu Hui: "Young Master said that this is probably what you wanted."
Granny Yue opened it, saw what was inside, and immediately slammed the lid shut.
Qiu Hui bowed to Granny Yue: "Granny, please go back. The young master said he will go to the ancestral hall to receive the family discipline tomorrow."
Granny Yue quickly took the things back to report to Old Madam Lin.
In Rong'an Hall, Old Madam Lin opened the box and saw the handkerchief with bloodstains still wet inside. In anger, she swept the teacup beside her to the ground.
"That wretched child!"
She was ultimately too late.
*
It was only at the hour of Yin (3-5 AM) that Zhaoshanju became quiet.
Lin Xiaocong held the unconscious girl in his arms and kissed her again and again.
He promised, "Rongrong, I will be good to you."
After we had both gotten ready, I carried her back to the bedroom, which had already been cleaned.
He put her on the bed and checked her over.
There was some tearing.
He fetched the medicine box and carefully applied the medicine to her.
"How can you be so delicate?"
He usually looks like a warrior who can fight bulls.
After finishing everything, he held her in his arms and went to sleep contentedly.
Be gentler next time.
Lin Xiaocong was woken up the next day by being choked.
He opened his eyes and saw Li Rong straddling him, tears streaming down her face, looking like she wanted to strangle him.
He easily pried her hands off, stood up, and looked at her with a reproachful expression.
"Rongrong, I served you until very late last night before you went to sleep. How can you be so inconsiderate?"
Li Rong slapped him with all her might.
He rubbed his face: "Do you want to hit the other half of my face?"
Li Rong rushed up and grabbed him, yelling, "Lin Xiaocong, you're not human! Why don't you just die!"
Lin Xiaocong let her vent.
"Rongrong, hit her a few more times."
Li Rong's voice was noticeably hoarse: "How could you feed me medicine? How could you do such a shameless thing!"
"What's the use of having a face? Rongrong is fragrant and soft, of course I want Rongrong."
"I'm going to kill you, Lin Xiaocong! I'm going to kill you!"
"Oh dear, you can't pull your hair, you'll look bad if you go bald."
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