Chapter 121 Imperial Seal
As the sun began to set in the west, the golden sky was slowly tinged with a shy blush, like that of a young girl.
Zhou Jin sat on the edge of the bed.
Next to it was an open box containing many letters.
An envelope labeled 'Will' had been opened and was casually placed aside.
He was looking at a long will in his hand.
The will details the distribution of the estate.
He had no idea that Wu Liu had given her 100,000 taels of gold to protect her.
Moreover, she didn't give him a single penny.
Zhou Jin stuffed the letter about the division of the estate into an envelope.
Pick up the letter from the box.
First, twenty letters were given to the child, one a year until he came of age.
Then there were gifts for her parents, her eldest sister, her second sister, her fourth sister, and her youngest brother.
Finally, at the very bottom, he saw the one for himself.
'To my husband, Jinlang'
There were two little figures drawn on the envelope.
A girl with a big head was fiercely pulling on the ear of a boy with a big head.
A round frame on its head.
There are words inside the circle.
'Don't peek, or I'll make you pay!'
He glanced up at the woman sleeping peacefully, his smile lingering in his eyes.
The letter was opened deftly with fingertips.
He figured she would definitely tell him to take good care of the child, look after her family, and so on.
As a result, a simple sheet of thin paper contained only six words.
Forget me, live well.
Silence speaks louder than words.
Zhou Jin suddenly put down the box in his hand and strode towards the window.
Flocks of birds returned to their nests on the horizon, and the sunset cast a long shadow over his back. He stood there for a long time.
*
When Li Qu woke up, it was already late at night.
She was awakened by the discomfort of engorgement and was covered in sweat.
Granny Xu brought over the herbal medicine to reduce lactation: "Third Master took the young master to Shou'an Hall."
“Every newborn child in the household would be brought to be seen by the elders.”
"This is a herbal soup to stop lactation. Drink it for three days and you will no longer have to suffer from engorgement."
Li Qu had no intention of taking the medicine and leaned back on the soft pillow: "How long have you been gone?"
Seeing this, Granny Xu placed the medicine on the bench beside the bed and took out a headband for Li Qu to put on.
"They should be back soon."
"Where is my will?"
"It's still locked in the box." Granny Xu said without changing her expression. "Does Madam want it now?"
"Third Master, you don't want it?"
“You asked Third Master to watch over the child, and he has been watching over the child ever since.”
Li Qu was a pity. She had a whole scheme planned to win him over.
That's enough.
"If Third Master ever asks you about it in the future, just say that I burned it."
Traitorous Granny Xu: "Don't worry, Madam, this old servant understands."
Li Qu wanted to take a bath, but was sternly refused by Granny Xu.
Washing my hair was out of the question.
"At least leave the window a crack."
Granny Xu: "The worst thing is a 'stealing wind'! Absolutely not!"
"Besides, when you went to sleep, the bed curtains were drawn and the room was already ventilated by opening the windows."
Li Qu: "Am I supposed to keep this up for a month?"
"When the young master is on his third-day celebration, Doctor An will prepare a medicinal bath for you."
Li Qu explained, "I think it's okay to take a shower and wash your hair if you keep warm, and the weather isn't that cold right now."
Granny Xu sternly refused, spouting a long string of reasons to her, stubbornly refusing to listen to any of Li Qu's willful words.
Li Qu ultimately chose to adapt to local customs, given the backward medical conditions at the time.
Just then, Cuiguo asked, "Should we have the meal served?"
Li Qu nodded.
Postpartum meals are milder and softer than regular meals.
Li Qu had only eaten half of it when her chest was already soaked with sweat.
Seeing this, Granny Xu asked, "Does Madam wish to breastfeed the young master herself?"
Li Qu leaned uncomfortably against the soft pillow and nodded.
"Colostrum is good for babies."
Both wet nurses gave birth earlier than her and had no colostrum.
Since she gave birth to him, she has to take responsibility.
"This old servant will send someone to invite Third Master to return as soon as possible."
As soon as Xu Mama stepped out, she exclaimed with delight, "Third Master is back!"
The wet nurse, Zhenniang, carried the child in first, followed by Zhou Jin.
Granny Xu quickly cleared away the food, soaked a cloth in boiling water, and wiped Li Qu's bowl.
Then she took the child from Zhenniang's arms and carefully handed him to Li Qu.
The baby was very small and thin. Because of premature birth and Li Qu's strict diet control for a smooth delivery, the baby weighed only 5.1 pounds at birth.
Children are born with a sucking instinct; when their mouths are near the bowl, they open them to search for food.
Li Qu carefully put it into his mouth, and he began to suck on it.
Watching the baby nurse, Li Qu felt a mix of emotions.
He kept him on because he was afraid Zhou Jin would go mad.
During childbirth, she was overwhelmed by excruciating pain and filled with remorse and despair.
Now, seeing him so gentle and small in her arms, she suddenly felt both heartache and warmth.
Her life has been carried on in this era.
Zhou Jin sat on the edge of the bed, frowning as he stared at the nursing baby. Suddenly, he saw tears falling onto the swaddling clothes. He looked up at Li Qu, who had suddenly started crying.
"A-Qu?"
Granny Xu quickly took a handkerchief and wiped away Li Qu's tears.
"Madam, you hurt your eyes from crying during your postpartum period."
"Young master is so kind, why are you crying?"
Li Qu smiled and shook her head: "I cried tears of joy."
No one understood what was mixed in Li Qu's tears.
*
At this moment, also shedding tears was Madam Lin, whose clothes were disheveled and hair was in disarray.
She cried all the way to Rong'an Hall. It was dark and she didn't notice where she was going, and she almost tripped and fell flat on her face.
The newly promoted head maid, Lian Qiao, hurriedly helped her up, but was slapped hard across the face by her.
She pointed at Lianqiao and cursed at the useless servants behind her.
"They're all useless! They just stood by and watched that little whore lay a hand on me, and not a single one of them dared to stop her!"
Lian Qiao and the others immediately knelt down and kowtowed.
Lin Xiaocong's act of making an example of someone terrified all the servants in the Marquis's mansion.
Who would have thought that the usually sunny and easy-going Seventh Young Master would kill his own mother's trusted nanny without even a word?
"What use are you to me! What use are you?!"
No one dared to answer.
Madam Lin entered Rong'an Hall in tears: "Mother, that little harlot beat my daughter-in-law yesterday, and she dared to beat her again today! You must stand up for my daughter-in-law!"
Grandma Lin asked about the reason.
It turns out that Li Rong and Lin Xiaocong had already moved to Chuntang Garden during the day.
Perhaps she had left something behind, because Li Rong came back to retrieve it.
When Madam Lin heard that Li Rong had returned alone, she was still upset about being beaten and forced to bang her head against a pillar by Li Rong, so she went to cause trouble for Li Rong.
Li Rong initially ignored it.
It wasn't until Madam Lin started cursing that her sensitive nerves were touched.
Unable to endure it any longer, she rolled up her sleeves and started fighting with Madam Lin.
During this time, not a single servant dared to step forward; they all knelt down and waited for the two to finish fighting.
Li Rong only let her go when Madam Lin lay on the ground wailing and stopped fighting back.
Li Rong, who had fighting experience since childhood, won decisively.
After listening, Grandma Lin took a deep breath, her expression quite meaningful.
Madam Lin collapsed onto the bed and cried, "Mother, your daughter-in-law doesn't want to live anymore!"
Grandma Lin slowly said, "If you're so capable, you should first subdue your son."
"Otherwise, if you go and cause trouble for Lady Li, aren't you just asking for trouble?"
Madam Lin rose from the couch and patted her chest: "I am the dignified Lady of the Marquis!"
"But you didn't raise your son well!"
"What more do you want from me? I sent him to study medicine when he was young, and I did my best for him! In what way have I wronged him!"
“He likes martial arts, but he doesn’t like studying medicine. You’re forcing him to become a doctor.”
"I'm doing this for his own good! Everyone praises him for his exceptional medical skills and martial arts! Besides, having a skilled physician in our prestigious family is of great benefit to the Lin clan!"
"You were too strict with him when he was young, which is why he is so rebellious now."
Madam Lin was unwilling to talk about the past: "Why talk about him? Let's deal with that prostitute first."
“Your son said that was a guest. If you go and criticize a guest, who will lose face if word gets out?”
"Don't you know whether I'm a guest or not!" Madam Lin was furious.
"How would I know? Do you expect me, at my age, to lead men to catch them red-handed to prove something?"
"Are we just going to let that little whore run rampant?!"
"Can't you see? Yesterday or today, your son is waiting for you to deliver yourself to Li's door to establish your authority!" Old Mrs. Lin pointed at her.
“Since he said he would treat Ms. Li with the courtesy due to a guest, he will not allow you to use your status to pressure her.”
Madam Lin slammed her hand on the bed in anger, got up and walked outside: "I can't touch her, but I can't touch her family?"
"I want to see what kind of parents could raise such a shameless and arrogant daughter."
Old Mrs. Lin warned: "Don't touch the Li family, they are backed by the Zhou family of Hezhou."
Madam Lin didn't care at all: "We were never going to get along with the Zhou family of Hezhou!"
She always kept her daughters-in-law in check by considering the importance of their families' reputation, and she always kept each daughter-in-law in the bounds of wifely virtues and filial piety, and she never failed in this task.
Not to mention concubines and the like.
Now, he has suffered a major setback in his life.
Madam Lin couldn't swallow this insult.
"I'm going to humiliate the Li family!"
Old Mrs. Lin said, "I'm afraid that if you humiliate the Li family, the Li girl will come knocking on your door the very next day."
Madam Lin stopped in her tracks.
“Look at all the servants in this mansion, who dares to stop her?”
Damn it, I've been checked.
Madam Lin wailed, "How could I have given birth to such a wretched child!"
*
At this moment, the wicked child is waiting for Li Rong in a carriage outside the side gate of the Marquis's mansion.
The moon and stars are sparse.
Li Rong, carrying the box in her hands, exited through the side gate of the Marquis's residence.
Qiu Chan, who was driving the carriage, lifted the curtain, and Qiu Ju pulled out a sedan chair, inviting Li Rong to get in.
Li Rong stepped onto the stool to get into the car.
Lin Xiaocong reached out his hand to her.
She reached out and bent down to get into the carriage.
The curtain fell, and Qiuju retrieved the sedan chair and sat down on the saddle.
The cicadas cracked their whips, and the carriage moved slowly forward.
Inside the carriage, Li Rong placed the box on a low table and sat quietly to one side: "I got it for you."
Lin Xiaocong moved the box in front of her, leaned down and reached out to pluck a blade of grass from her hair: "Why do you look unhappy?"
"You got into a fight with your mother."
Lin Xiaocong placed the grass on the box: "You lost?"
“Your mother is old, so she'll suffer a bit.”
He smiled, sat up straight, rolled up the serious medical book in his hand, and focused his gaze on the book.
“My mother is domineering, and Rongrong has suffered these past two days.”
"The box contains an apology gift for Rongrong. See if she likes it."
Li Rong glanced at the man who had suddenly become serious, tossed the grass from the box out the window, and opened the box lid.
Golden gold cakes.
It's the kind of thing that the vulgar Li Rong likes.
She hugged the box to her chest and lowered her head to count the gold coins.
Fourth Sister is now studying at the Lin Family School for Girls, surrounded by daughters of prominent families or relatives from wealthy and influential families.
Fourth Sister needs external support.
"The letter to my third sister should arrive today."
Lin Xiaocong turned a page of the book in his hand: "It takes five days for a message to arrive by carrier pigeon, it should arrive today."
Li Rong found a stack of silver notes under the gold cake.
She glanced at Lin Xiaocong, then carefully took out the silver notes and counted them one by one.
The more she counted, the more she couldn't suppress the smile on her lips.
She is simple and pure in her ordinariness.
He didn't know when he put down the book, but instead used it to press his forehead against hers as he looked at her.
She noticed, suppressed her smile, and turned slightly to the side so he wouldn't see.
He smiled and covered his face with the book.
"Rongrong, the path I chose for you is the one that suits you best."
Li Rong's train of thought about counting the silver notes was interrupted, so she started counting them again.
"If you and Master Zhou were to fight, who would win?"
Lin Xiaocong removed the book from his face.
"Why would you want me to fight with Master Zhou?"
"What I mean is, if my third sister and Zhou Sanye have a fight, and she comes to the capital... could you protect my family as you would protect me?"
Lin Xiaocong looked up at her thoughtfully.
"If Rongrong is willing to acknowledge my identity, then I have an unshirkable responsibility to protect my aunt."
Li Rong, clutching countless silver notes, slowly turned around.
The delay in receiving the news meant that she was unaware that Li Qu had changed her mind about leaving Zhou Jin.
She thought that since she was already in this situation, perhaps she could still do something for her third sister.
She looked at him, clutching the silver note, and asked quite seriously, "How do I acknowledge your identity?"
“You treated me the same way you did when I was in the River Island prison.”
"Write your affection for me on your face, between your brows, and in your eyes."
"You laugh because of me, you get angry because of me, you think of me in your dreams, and you miss me when we're apart."
The carriage remained silent for a long while.
She asked, "Do you really like me?"
Lin Xiaocong tossed the book in his hand onto the low table.
How can I make you feel that I truly like you?
Li Rong said, "Control your wives and concubines, and don't allow them to bully me."
"Don't hurt my family."
"You must protect my family as you protected me in the Marquis's mansion."
Lin Xiaocong laughed when he heard the first sentence.
He put away the low table, grabbed her arm, and pulled her into his arms.
She was pulled forward and fell into his arms, her hips were held by him, and she straddled his lap.
He leaned against the carriage wall, raised his hand to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, and said with a faint smile.
"Silly Rongrong, I have no wives or concubines, only you."
"It's all because of you."
"If you stay by my side obediently, I will love everything about you."
Her gaze fell on his gentle features, recalling the day they first met.
*
“Young lady, I have been entrusted by Master Zhou to help you remove the acupuncture needles and treat your foot injury.”
At that time, she was tied to a right-angled stool, her legs were numb and her body was numb.
But because he had scolded Zhou Jin away, he felt extremely happy and was laughing.
He suddenly appeared in her pupils.
Tall and elegant, refined and dignified, with a gentle smile.
It was completely out of place in the cold, smelly, and dark torture chamber.
He smiled, took off his outer robe, and covered her head with it.
"If you don't look at it, it won't hurt."
She truly didn't feel the pain from the needle.
Before me was a blue robe, to my nose a gentle medicinal fragrance, and even my face was warmed by the residual body heat on the outer robe.
He abruptly removed his robe and said gently, "I apologize for the offense. It's alright now."
She remembered saying "Thank you" to him at that moment.
He came to change her dressing the next day.
On the third day, the fourth day... she shed her disguise.
Her love was passionate and bright, as radiant as the morning glow.
*
With curfew approaching, the carriage moved swiftly.
The wind lifted the carriage curtain, and she cupped his face in her hands and kissed his lips.
His hand, which was on her waist, slowly slid down her back.
He was confident he would win her heart.
*
A wisp of mist at dawn.
The letter from Aunt Xun to Old Madam Lin, which was sent to Hezhou, was delayed again because Li Qu gave birth prematurely.
But Lin Xiaocong sent the letter that Li Rong wrote to Li Qu to Hezhou.
The person who delivered the letter was the person in charge of Jimin Medical Clinic.
Because the letter was sent under the name of Li Qu's second sister, it was delivered to the inner courtyard without any obstacles. After passing through Doctor An's security check, it was delivered to Li Qu.
Li Qu was having breakfast on the couch at that time.
Because of a letter from her family, she couldn't wait and opened it immediately.
Eat while watching.
'Third sister, I see your smiling face in this letter; two months have passed since we last met…'
'...Therefore, our paths crossed at the wrong time. Given this situation, I am content...'
Li Qu put down her chopsticks, her brows furrowing slightly.
'My fourth sister is too frail to practice martial arts, but she has already learned riding and archery...'
'...Are you well? I await your reply, please reply as soon as possible.'
Three long sheets of paper.
After reading the letter, Li Qu took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and remained silent for a long time.
Although the document makes no mention of coercion, it emphasizes throughout that the act was done willingly.
But if he was truly willing back then, why would he have secretly married his wife and gone through official documents beforehand?
She abruptly overturned the breakfast in front of her.
Li Qu had never been so angry before; even the sleeping cub was startled and cried.
Zhenniang carefully picked up the baby and took him to a side room.
Hongguo and Cuiguo quickly cleaned up the mess.
Granny Xu stepped forward and asked softly, "Why is Madam so angry?"
Zhou Jin entered the room at this time.
The woman's face was sullen, an expression he had never seen before.
He coughed, softened his steps, and sat down on the couch in front of her: "Is it because of your second sister?"
Li Qu instantly looked up, her gaze fixed on Zhou Jin: "You know!"
Zhou Jin quickly took out the note sent by carrier pigeon: "I just heard you received a letter from home, and then I saw you get so angry."
Li Qu took the note.
It was a letter from the boat captain to Zhou Jin.
"Just arrived."
The text states that the Fourth Miss referred to the Seventh Young Master of the Marquis's Mansion as her Second Brother-in-law, and personally witnessed him entering the mansion with her.
Li Qu's emotions had gradually calmed down: "Is the Lin family guarding the defense line from Hejian to Qingzhou?"
Zhou Jin hummed in agreement.
Upon hearing this, Li Qu recalled her earlier warning to Lin Xiaocong and suddenly found it all the more ridiculous.
Because of their differing stances, Lin Xiaocong was not afraid of her warnings at all.
Her vision was ultimately limited.
She pressed the note into her palm and slowly clenched it.
They had anticipated Xiao Cong, but overlooked Lin Xiaocong.
"Huaiyan may not be able to successfully bring his parents back on this trip."
Zhou Jin pushed her palm away, took out the note, and crumpled it up.
"Since the two sides haven't completely broken off relations yet, Lin Qi has no reason not to release the person."
"And there are secret agents in the capital looking after my parents-in-law."
"If they are in mortal danger, the undercover agents will reveal themselves."
"When I received the letter, I had already sent a message to the capital."
"If Huaiyan cannot reach the person, then have the undercover agent cooperate with Huaiyan to send the person out of the capital."
"If it fails, I will go there myself."
Seeing that he had made the arrangements, she breathed a sigh of relief.
She moved closer to him and gently scratched his collar: "It's all your fault!"
"Why did I ask Lin Xiaocong to treat my second sister's foot injury back then?"
Zhou Jin never expected that treating injuries could lead to a connection.
"I feel guilty for hurting your second sister back then."
"Since a renowned traditional Chinese medicine doctor has come to our door, we might as well take advantage of it."
He changed the subject, not wanting to bring up the past.
"Thank you, Aqu, for giving birth to my son. I have a gift for you."
"What gift?" she asked, looking at him expectantly.
He looked at her tenderly and raised his right hand.
Li Qu then saw a crimson seal lying in his right palm.
"Want to play?"
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