Chapter 135 Striving
The capital city was once again draped in white mourning clothes.
The urgent messages traveled 800 li to various places, while the pigeons flew south under the cover of night.
Time makes people restless.
News of the changes in Fengxiang Prefecture spread to various places along the northern and southern routes, and the defenses were doubled.
The situation in the North and South is becoming increasingly severe.
The Yellow River cuts through Qizhou, taking away one-third of its land.
Standing atop the main city wall of Qizhou and looking south, one can see warships lined up on the south bank of the Yellow River, their lights shimmering in the thin mist.
Marquis Lin Zhongtian stood solemnly silent, his gaze fixed on the distant river.
Since he entered the city, important positions in Qizhou have gradually been filled by his own people.
Last year, the Zhou family seized Qizhou, and now they've replaced the Zhou family's people with a single, decisive move. It has to be said that those old guys in the cabinet are actually quite capable of doing something worthwhile.
But everyone's attention was on Qizhou, and no one paid attention to Fengxiang Prefecture.
Now that we have lost Fengxiang Prefecture, we absolutely cannot afford to lose Qizhou as well.
"My lord, a letter from home has arrived."
A trusted confidant delivered a letter from home. Lin Zhongtian casually took it, read it, and then frowned deeply.
Clutching the letter from home, he turned and descended the city wall.
His trusted confidants followed closely behind.
He ordered in a deep voice, "Take fifty personal guards and send them north in three groups to intercept Mingxu. Even if they cripple him, they must not allow him to come to Qizhou."
The confidant was greatly alarmed upon hearing this: "Didn't the Marquis mention the Seventh Young Master last month, yet he hasn't written to you at all?"
Lin Zhongtian remained silent, but the sound of his armor rustling as he moved was chilling.
The confidant bowed and said, "Your subordinate obeys."
*
Horse hooves clatter.
Lin Xiaocong and his servant were gnawing on roast chicken while simultaneously throwing away trash.
They rushed south.
After finishing her meal, Qiu Chan casually wiped her mouth with her arm and said, "Young Master, you've only just recovered a little bit of your energy. Why don't you stop and rest?"
Lin Xiaocong shook out the water from his water bag to wipe his hands and tidy himself up.
"There's a ghost behind us, we can't stop."
The cicada cried out in fright, "Young master, we're in the middle of nowhere, could you please not frighten this servant?"
He laughed: "Someone from the palace is chasing us. If we get caught, we'll have to go back as ordered."
How did you know?
"That's what the letter said."
"Who gave you that letter, young master?"
“We’ll find out eventually.” His voice was light. “Autumn Cicada, we need to change lanes.”
Why?
"Because, young master, I suddenly have a craving for wild game."
If he takes the official road, his father will definitely cause him trouble.
The cicadas were overjoyed, thinking that good days were ahead.
Unexpectedly, what followed was a journey through mountains and valleys, enduring wind and rain, and eating roasted wild game every day that wasn't particularly delicious.
*
The morning chill and fog dissipated.
Nineteen.
Li Rong and her party arrived in Qizhou City.
They took a detour to enter the city and head south.
Huaiyan handed over the household registration documents to the city gate guards for verification, and the group passed through the gate and entered the city.
Inside the carriage, Li Rong lifted the curtain and looked outside.
The bright and cheerful girl had a faint melancholy in her eyes.
She spotted a stall selling rattles and yelled for the car to stop.
"Huaixia, could you buy a rattle drum?"
Huaixia lifted the curtain to deliver a message: Huaiyan had bought a rattle drum and handed it through the curtain.
Huaixia took it and handed it to Li Rong with both hands.
Li Rong held it in her hand and shook the rattle drum with her fingertips.
The thumping sound seemed to accompany the laughter of a baby.
Li Rong glanced at Huai Xia and smiled.
Huai Xia was taken aback.
In my memory, this second daughter was not a quiet, sentimental person.
However, the second young lady behaved differently than usual throughout the journey.
This was the first time she smiled since she was picked up.
She looks beautiful; her eyes crinkle into crescents, instantly dispelling any lingering sadness.
The carriage, which was moving slowly, suddenly stopped.
There was also the sound of rattles coming from inside the carriage.
Xiao Zuo's voice rang out from outside the carriage.
"Second Miss, it's been a long time."
"When the Crown Prince heard that you were passing through Qizhou City, he prepared a warm welcome for you and invited you to have a cup of tea."
*
The south bank, separated by a river.
Zhou Jin returned late last night.
The couple had not yet gotten up.
Li Qu vaguely saw the figure pushing the cage down.
The beauty's eyes were still sleepy, her eyelashes were long and thick, her eyebrows were delicate and her nose was exquisite. Her skin was as white as snow.
I can never get enough of looking at it.
The man removed her hands and kissed her cheeks and sucked on her neck.
When she was by his side, he wanted to pester her all the time.
Knowing that Xiao Cong had come to Qizhou, he became even more attached to her.
Clouds press down on the mountain peaks, waterfalls plunge into pools, the scenery is breathtaking.
Soft, rustling sounds drifted out from behind the bed curtains.
The servants outside the bed curtains went to prepare for what was to come.
He looked down at her, admiring her submission and charm.
"Aqu, you are mine."
No one can take it from us.
There's been a lot going on lately.
He didn't bother her for long.
Deep and far away, soaring into the clouds.
He admired her when she was soft and yielding.
He kissed her ear and whispered, "Don't go out lately, I'm going to pick up my second sister."
Her voice was ambiguous and seductive, lingering and tender: "Mmm~"
He chuckled softly.
"Thank you for your hard work, my husband~" she said, trying to cover up her earlier tone.
He felt a sense of comfort, pleased with her cheerful reaction.
The fierce wind and torrential rain dispersed the floating clouds.
The maids and servants tidied up the room themselves.
After they finished washing up in the bathroom, he carried her back to bed and covered her with a blanket.
"Sleep a little longer."
She rolled over and closed her eyes.
Seeing that she had fallen asleep, he lowered the bed curtains, got dressed, and went out.
Last night, after Xiao Cong arrived in Qizhou, he sent him a letter.
We cordially invite Madam Zhou to Qizhou City for tea, and hope that Master Zhou will accept.
His desire to kill Xiao Cong was stronger than ever before.
The sound of his footsteps as he stepped out the door was filled with hostility.
Wait until he leaves.
Li Qu opened her eyes and got up from the bed.
She also received a letter yesterday.
However, she didn't intend to pay any attention to it.
She believed him.
She reached up and hung the bed curtains, her feet slipping out from under the covers.
The shoes were covered in hickeys.
When the servants in the room saw her get up, they quickly went to serve her.
The afternoon sky was warm and clear.
Inside the Yuelai Teahouse in Qizhou City.
Li Rong sat by the window watching Huai Yan and the others being surrounded by the Qizhou garrison downstairs.
A majestic general, clad in silver armor, strode in with imposing presence.
Li Rong heard the guards of Qizhou shout, "My Lord!"
Li Rong knew a little about what happened in Qizhou.
Hearing people calling him "General" or "Lord Marquis," he paid closer attention.
His high nose and eyebrows resembled those of his father.
"Your Highness."
The door to the private room was pushed open.
Li Rong turned her gaze away from the window, slowly stood up, and stared at the door.
It was past noon, and she was starving.
Xiao Cong stepped inside.
The once noble and unparalleled young master seemed to have become much colder.
Li Rong took a deep breath, got up from her seat, and bowed to Xiao Cong.
"Greetings, Your Highness."
"Second Miss, there's no need for such formalities. Please sit down." The voice was as pleasant as before, but the tone seemed a little colder.
He took his seat.
Li Rong then sat down opposite him.
She didn't feel uncomfortable sitting at the same table as Xiao Cong?
Because Li Qu used to often drag her along as a third wheel.
However, Huai Xia, standing behind Li Rong, was not at peace with herself.
She gripped the two swords at her waist tightly, her palms sweating.
Xiao Cong leaned back in his chair, half of his body hidden from the light, his gaze calmly fixed on Li Rong's face.
He asked, "Dragon beard candy doesn't taste good?"
There was only a plate of dragon beard candy and tea snacks on the table.
Li Rong was very hungry, but she didn't touch a single piece of food.
He didn't drink a drop of water from the table.
She was very wary of Xiao Cong.
She replied, "If it weren't delicious, I wouldn't have revealed that my third sister was a girl when I was crossing the river gate just to eat a piece of dragon beard candy."
Li Rong is outspoken and becomes stronger when faced with a strong opponent.
"Does the young master want to use dragon beard candy to remind me that it was I who let my third sister enter the Zhou family of Hezhou for a meal, and that makes me feel guilty?"
"Your Highness, you may be overthinking things. I feel no remorse whatsoever."
“If I could do it again, even without that piece of dragon beard candy, I would still shout, ‘My third sister is a woman too!’”
"After all, being the wife of the Third Prince is better than being the wife of most men in the world, and even better than being a concubine of the Heir Apparent."
"Furthermore, Master Zhou treats Third Sister very well and can protect her, preventing her from being taken back by you."
That hurts.
Xiao Cong: "Was I bad to you before?"
Li Rong: "Was my third sister not good to you before?"
"How do you know that I treat her worse than Master Zhou?"
"Third sister chose him, it must be because you are not good enough."
Xiao Cong's voice was calm.
"She doesn't like him, she won't choose him."
"If she doesn't like her husband choosing her own husband, does she prefer you choosing her?"
Li Rong almost rolled her eyes.
"Don't you know what she's thinking?"
Li Rong: "Don't you know what she's thinking?"
The plate of dragon beard candy was snow-white and glistening in the sunlight.
She shifted her gaze to the window: "If you're thinking of using me to lure Third Sister into a trap, then forget about it."
"What, are you planning to kill yourself?"
"It's not like I haven't died before."
silence.
After a long pause, Xiao Cong slowly spoke: "I invited the Second Miss here because I would like to ask her for two favors."
Li Rong: "What kind of help?"
*
Where the heart leads, the body follows.
Lin Xiaocong and his servant were still speeding along the road.
The Siberian cold wind blows in the dark clouds from the north.
The temperature dropped sharply in the afternoon.
The darker it got, the thicker the fog became on the river.
Li Rong rode in a horse-drawn carriage out of Qizhou City.
By the time we reached the pier, it had started to drizzle.
There were boats waiting for a long time by the pier.
Li Rong got off the carriage wearing a veil. She had to hold onto the light veil with her hands so that it wouldn't be blown over by the wind.
Xiao Zuo held the umbrella up for her and handed her the handle.
"The boat sent by the Third Sister is located at the pier."
Cui Guo, wearing a straw raincoat and a bamboo hat, stood at the bow of the boat.
She saw Li Rong getting off the carriage and quickly jumped off the bow of the boat to greet her.
"Second Miss!"
Li Rong looked at Xiao Zuo: "I'll go out of the city tonight and cross the river alone, just to help your young master?"
Xiao Zuo remained silent, respectfully bowed, and boarded the carriage to leave.
Cui Guo rushed up to Li Rong: "You're really here!"
She was very lively and excited: "The eldest daughter and the others just arrived yesterday."
"This servant will help you."
"How did Third Sister know I was here?" Li Rong asked.
"Madam received a letter instructing us to send a boat to this small pier to fetch you."
"There are soldiers on the ship, all of them our own people. Let's go, Second Miss."
Cui Guo tried to help Li Rong up, but Li Rong didn't move.
Cui Guo asked, puzzled, "Second Miss?"
*
The river waves crashed against the shore, and the sound of raindrops hitting the umbrella was clearly audible.
Li Rong could clearly hear her heart beating.
Someone was calling her name in the wind.
"Rongrong~"
The sounds came one after another, growing clearer and clearer.
She didn't know how she turned around; her steps seemed stiff.
But that figure appeared in her pupils.
She wanted to see his figure one last time.
"Rongrong~"
The night was dark and the wind was strong; she could barely tell which direction he had come from.
The sound of horses' hooves was not as clear as his voice calling her.
Suddenly, the wind blew the umbrella away from her hand.
Ben Cuiguo hurriedly chased after the umbrella, but when she couldn't catch up, she remembered to take off her raincoat and give it to Li Rong.
By the time she turned around, Lin Xiaocong and Qiu Chan's figures were already clearly visible.
"Rongrong~"
Cuiguo quickly went to Li Rong's side and put her raincoat on her.
The guards on the ship noticed someone approaching and quickly disembarked with torches to protect them.
Li Rong was surrounded by guards in the middle.
Cuiguo urged, "Second Miss, let's go!"
She could see his figure clearly.
Perhaps because the rain was so heavy, he didn't have time to prepare any rain gear, and his clothes were soaked by the cold rain.
He dismounted.
The firelight flickered.
Rainwater slid down his angular face.
His lips were very pale, and his face showed obvious weakness.
What's wrong with him?
In any case, it has nothing to do with him anymore.
Li Rong traced his eyebrows, nose, and lips with her eyes, then turned and walked towards the pier.
Her wish has been fulfilled.
He hurriedly called out, "Rongrong!"
Cui Guo quickly followed Li Rong, saying, "Second Miss, be careful, it's slippery."
Lin Xiaocong was about to step forward when Bingwei stopped him.
"Rongrong!"
Li Rong kept walking, as if afraid she would regret it, and walked very fast while holding onto Cui Guo's hand.
A conflict between Lin Xiaocong and Bingwei is about to erupt.
The cunning one was the one who got beaten up.
Qiu Chan knelt on the ground and wailed.
"Please, please spare my young master!"
"My young master was severely poisoned and we barely managed to save him!"
"We've been traveling non-stop for three days and nights now!"
"Please, have mercy!"
"Stop hitting them, stop hitting them, please stop hitting them."
The cicada's pleas and Lin Xiaocong's timely screams, intertwined with her increasingly rapid heartbeat, disturbed Li Rong's soul.
"Rongrong, don't go~"
Li Rong hated herself for being unable to control her emotions.
How can someone fall in love with the same person three times?
She hated herself for being stupid.
"Young Master!!!"
The mournful cries of the cicadas made Li Rong stop in her tracks as she stepped onto the boat.
"Young master, young master, wake up!"
Li Rong turned around and saw Qiu Chan lying in the rain, holding Lin Xiao Cong.
The cicada hissed desperately, "How could you be so cruel!"
"Our young master is so weak, how can he withstand your punches again and again!"
"Waaah, young master, how are you?"
"What? You want to say something to the Second Miss?"
"Waaah, you can't risk your life just to talk to the Second Miss."
"Doctor! Do you have a doctor? My young master is bleeding!"
Unable to control her steps, Li Rong turned and ran towards him.
"Second Miss!" Cui Guo was soaked to the bone and shivering in the wind.
The guards looked at each other, puzzled as to why the other party seemed to have been severely beaten after just a few shoves.
Li Rong knelt down beside Lin Xiaocong and asked, "Where are you bleeding?"
The man, who was unconscious in Qiu Chan's arms, suddenly sat up and pulled the woman into his embrace.
She loosened her grip on the sheer veil and, following his movement, knelt down into his arms.
He held her tightly: "Rongrong, I missed you."
He always had her completely under his control.
A self-inflicted injury ruse.
She fell for the trap.
She didn't push him away, letting him hold her.
But hot tears, unlike the cold drizzle, fell one by one onto his neck.
He slowly released her.
She didn't say a word, and got up to leave.
He stood up and took her hand: "Rongrong~"
"Let go."
"You didn't bring your seal for withdrawing silver."
"Leave it for you."
"I don't want her." His tone was soft, even pleading. "I only want Rongrong."
Li Rong lowered her head and wiped away her tears with her sleeve.
My sleeves were wet without me noticing. I wiped my face with the cool rainwater, and my mind cleared up considerably.
She turned around and tried to pry his hand off, but she couldn't budge a single finger.
He applied a gentle force, and she stumbled and fell towards him.
He raised his arm and caught her.
"Rongrong, why are you making things difficult for yourself? You clearly like me."
Li Rong straightened up and looked up at him.
His pale lips weren't an act.
She said, "So what if I like it?"
"What makes you think you're more important to me than my parents, siblings, and brother?"
Lin Xiaocong gripped her hand tightly.
"I've thought of a good idea: I'll marry you."
"That way you can let go of your worries."
She asked incredulously, "What did you say? Marry me?"
He excitedly told her that his master, Huangfu, had agreed to fabricate a Huangfu woman's identity for her.
The details of his suicide by poisoning, which cost him half his life, are omitted.
Li Rong found it amusing.
"You want me to cut off all contact with my parents, siblings, and brother?"
Lin Xiaocong: "We can keep in touch secretly from now on."
"You're afraid that others will find out my identity and bring trouble to your family, but there are no secrets that stay hidden forever."
"Trust me this once."
Li Rong laughed: "How can you expect me to trust you?"
Lin Xiaocong swallowed his bitterness and explained, "You put the dagger on the low table at the time."
“You said that if I didn’t marry you, you would rather kill yourself than be with me.”
"But I can't be brothers-in-law with Master Zhou."
It was my mistake to lie to you.
“But if I tell you, you will absolutely refuse to let me get close.”
"Even if I had suggested arranging another identity for you back then, you wouldn't have paid any attention to me."
"The way you looked at me back then, there wasn't a single bit of joy in your eyes!!"
"I have to fight for myself a chance!!"
He looked at her intently.
"Do you know how heartbroken I was when I returned to Beijing from Hezhou and saw you with Qi Nian?"
I feel like killing him!
"I really, really want to kill him!"
He gripped her hand tighter and tighter.
"If you hadn't been sick back then, I would have had him tied up and taken to Chuntang Garden, where I would stand outside the gate to listen for your voice!"
“But you are sick, so I can only use gentle methods.”
Li Rong tried her best to break free from him, but she couldn't, so she raised her hand and bit his wrist hard.
He let her bite him as if nothing had happened.
She bit him while tears streamed down her face, but he wouldn't let go of her.
"You stole my heart in the River Island Prison."
"You can only be my woman for the rest of your life."
"Come back to the capital with me, and we'll get married."
"Your siblings will all have their own homes and children, and everyone will live their own lives."
"If you wish to see your parents, I will send someone to fetch them."
"Rongrong, we're having a baby."
"Children need their loving parents."
She strained hard and tasted blood.
He still wouldn't let go.
She angrily released him, crying and shouting, "Qiu Chan lied to you about the River Island Prison, it wasn't my fault!"
"It's all your fault." Lin Xiaocong put his hand on her shoulder.
“He followed me when he was twelve. He would help rich girls deliver handkerchiefs and fans to me, saying that so-and-so liked me, but I never paid any attention to him.”
“I only respond when he mentions you.”
"I'm happy even though he lied to me."
"Li Rong! Even Qiu Chan can tell I like you!"
"How could you just say you didn't like it anymore!"
It's all in the past now.
None of that matters anymore.
He managed to win back her heart.
She was pregnant with his child.
He cleared away all the obstacles between them.
He raised his hand to wipe away the tears on her face.
"My dear Rong'er, don't be disobedient, come home with me."
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