Chapter 2 Unworthy
The osmanthus tree provides shade, awaiting the budding of its flowers.
Li Qu stopped in the shade, and Chang San, who was walking ahead, also stopped and turned to look at Li Qu.
She smiled faintly. The blazing sun shone through the gaps in the leaves, swaying in the wind, obscuring any blemishes on her face. Her skin, as white as a peeled egg, was slightly flushed, probably from being forced to kneel in the sun earlier.
Beautiful eyes and white teeth, a face that could launch a thousand ships.
Chang San glanced at it quickly, then looked away with a sense of inferiority.
He seemed to know that Li Qu was unwilling to marry him, and unusually spoke up to defend himself: "Third Master's orders cannot be disobeyed."
Who doesn't love beauty?
One sentence was enough to make him break out in a cold sweat, feeling utterly ashamed.
Not only is his face ugly, but his heart is so ugly that he is ashamed to even look at it.
Li Qu calmly strode towards the main kitchen.
"Brother Chang, to be honest, my brother-in-law Zhao Lianqing is the magistrate of Wanxian County, and he is on good terms with Xiao Cong, the heir of the Prince of Yan."
“The Zhou family is naturally not afraid of my brother-in-law, but if you want to use a trivial matter as an excuse to deal with me, you should think about whether the Chang family can get out of my brother-in-law’s clutches unscathed if he pursues the matter.”
"Even if you take a step back, you're using Master Zhou as a shield. If my brother-in-law were to ask the Prince of Yan's heir to intervene, would the Zhou family really risk offending the Prince of Yan's mansion for the sake of a mere servant like you?"
Every word Li Qu uttered struck Chang San like a thorn in his side.
“I have offended the Zhou family, and He County is no place for me to stay. Your parents are both based in the Zhou family, and you have no brothers. Even if you are freed from slavery, you cannot abandon your parents and follow me to Wan County to settle down.”
As Li Qu spoke, she took a step.
The two walked and talked, with Chang San following behind Li Qu this time.
He stared at Li Qu's heels, his lips pressed into a thin line.
Li Qu slowed her pace and waited for him to walk with her.
Seeing him follow, she turned to look at him and said, "If you help me leave the Zhou residence, I will give you a thousand taels of silver."
"With this money, you can marry a wife or concubine, or buy property, and you will have no worries for the rest of your life."
"In addition, I am good at conditioning the skin. The freckles on Miss San's face were improved by using my formula. I can give you back healthy skin."
Chang San suddenly stopped and looked up at Li Qu.
He wasn't ashamed of being a slave, nor of being a manure carrier; he was only ashamed of his face covered in red bumps.
God knows how much he wanted a normal human face!
He was tempted.
Seeing this, Li Qu knew she had persuaded Chang San. Relieved, she raised her chin and smiled, gesturing for Chang San to follow: "Go see your parents. This matter requires their help."
Li Qu already had a perfect plan for leaving.
Without the pressure of becoming Li Qu's husband, Chang San seemed to talk more.
He asked, "Why is Auntie unwilling to become Third Master's concubine?"
Whether it was the emptiness of being about to leave the Zhou family or the extreme disgust with the Zhou family's practice of forcibly taking women, Li Qu threw the idea of "walls have ears" to the wind, quickened her pace, and blurted out angrily, "He doesn't deserve it!"
Behind the lush flower bushes and saplings, just a step away on another side path, Zhou Jin glanced in the direction where the sound had disappeared, then his gaze returned to the woman in front of him who was on the verge of tears. He looked her up and down, and finally fixed his gaze on her face.
He said critically, "You're nowhere near as good as her."
He decided to change his mind.
Lu Yanyan was filled with shame and indignation: "Third cousin, I am your own cousin. My family background is clean and my origins are clear. Even if it is improper for me to offer myself to you, I am still more reliable than others."
My aunt felt the same way. Even if we disregard the monk's feelings, we should at least consider the Buddha's. My cousin shouldn't have compared me to someone who uses their looks to please others!
After saying that, she turned around and ran away crying.
When Li Qu arrived at the main kitchen, everyone there was congratulating Chang's mother on the upcoming pregnancy.
Chang's mother, however, smiled uneasily.
Li Qu's great achievements had long been known throughout the Zhou family.
Even the Third Master doesn't think much of this woman, and she dares to deceive the old lady. Her family probably can't afford to deal with her!
When Chang's mother heard that Li Qu wanted to fake a marriage with Chang San in order to leave the Zhou residence, she felt even more overwhelmed.
Li Qu tried to be polite first, then resorted to force: "The weather is hot, and my mother is pregnant. I will not leave He County for at least half a month."
In the meantime, I can help Chang Sange take care of his skin.
Chang San's skin is a major concern for the whole family.
Chang San had previously taken a liking to a kitchen maid who tended the fire; the maid was of ordinary appearance.
But after hearing that Chang San was interested in her, she married a widower who was ten years older than her the very next day.
She would rather be a stepmother than become Chang San's wife.
If Chang San's appearance improves, given their family's circumstances, they have no trouble finding a good wife.
Chang's mother was tempted, but felt that the risk of offending Third Master by outwardly complying while inwardly disagreeing was too great.
Li Qu smiled slightly: "Aunt Chang, one of the guarantors for my brother-in-law's entry into officialdom through the imperial examination was Xiao Cong, the heir apparent of Northern Yan. This can be verified."
Madam Chang gritted her teeth: "Five thousand taels, if the master pursues this matter..."
"Therefore, the wedding date should be set sooner rather than later," Li Qu said calmly.
"After the wedding night, the old lady will no longer want me to be a concubine for Master Zhou."
"Even Master Zhou doesn't have a penchant for watching other people's wedding nights."
"In this way, the overall situation will be settled."
"At the same time, Aunt Chang, you can take this opportunity to ask for a pardon."
"When the time comes, I will move out of the Zhou residence with Brother Chang, which will make it easier for me to come and go to make medicine for Brother Chang."
"I offended the master of the Zhou family, so I don't frequent the Zhou family anymore, and naturally there are fewer accidents."
Madam Chang glanced at her son's face and agreed, "Five thousand taels! If you have misspoke, we will immediately report to our master!"
"Well, I don't want to provoke the Zhou family, so I will naturally comply." As soon as Li Qu finished speaking, a familiar person from the kitchen came to the back room to find Chang's mother.
"Aunt Chang, Granny Xu from Third Master's courtyard has sent wedding supplies and said that they are holding a wedding for Consort Li tonight, and they would like you to come over."
Mother Chang was surprised: "So fast?"
Li Qu raised an eyebrow.
It seems that she is not the only one who does not want to follow Old Mrs. Zhou's arrangements.
"Auntie, since the master has given the order, you should go ahead and attend to your business."
Upon seeing Li Qu, the visitor smiled and bowed to her, then said, "Please come along, Auntie, so a makeup artist can do your makeup."
Madam Chang and Li Qu exchanged a glance, and Li Qu asked, "Where should we go to get our makeup done?"
"Granny Xu said it was in Xiuyan Pavilion, which is right next to the main kitchen."
Li Qu felt relieved. She had thought Zhou Jin had changed his mind, but now it seemed he was going to personally arrange her marriage with Chang San.
Very good.
Chang San went to his father to explain the whole story.
Li Qu and Chang's mother went to see Granny Xu.
This time, when Granny Xu saw Li Qu, she stopped nagging.
Li Qu maintained proper manners and cooperated with Xu Mama's arrangements, washing up, changing clothes, and putting on makeup.
Looking at the gold and jade hairpin inserted in her hair, Li Qu wondered, "This hairpin is far too precious."
"It was a gift from the master." Xu Mama's attitude was not as eager as before; she was much calmer and more indifferent.
Seeing that Granny Xu didn't want to say anything more, Li Qu didn't speak again.
Inside Xiuyan Pavilion, red lanterns hang high.
Li Qu, dressed in casual clothes and covered with a red veil, sat on the bed sprinkled with longans and red dates, quietly waiting for Chang San to come over.
She felt that her makeup looked quite good today.
However, considering that Chang San dared not look at her, she was not afraid that Chang San would be lustful after seeing her.
If he were to harbor lustful thoughts, she would have a hairpin to stab him!
There seemed to be some noise outside; the people in the kitchen were probably drinking.
Li Qu knew that the Chang family were respectable servants, and now that their master was giving them face, it was only right that things were lively.
She thought that after tonight, the predicament of the Zhou family in Hezhou would be resolved.
Once we leave the Zhou residence and confirm that my mother is alright, we can set a time to go to Wanxian.
Once we arrived in Wanxian, everything was settled.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but smile.
The eldest sister said she had found a husband for the second sister, a scholar type that the second sister liked. If nothing unexpected happens, next year she won't have to pay the tax for the second sister not getting married because she is over the age limit.
These are all good things.
The more she thought about it, the more relaxed she felt. Even after the veil was lifted, she didn't immediately look up at Chang San. She only said, "We're getting married today. Tomorrow we'll probably go and pay our respects to Master Zhou."
"At that time, I will bring up the matter of releasing you."
Chang's mother went to beg the old lady, and she begged Zhou Sanye, saying that if things didn't work out in the east, they could try in the west, and if all else failed, they could wait until the end of the year.
Li Qu's gaze gradually focused, and what came into view was a brocade robe embroidered with golden crabapple blossoms.
She suddenly looked up and met Zhou Jin's deep, cold eyes.
In an instant, the memories that Li Qu had deliberately suppressed surged forth.
In the pavilion in the backyard of the Hezhou government office, Li Qu witnessed a beautiful young girl having her throat slit by the man in front of her.
Blood splattered, splashing onto the person's smooth, jade-like face, like plum blossoms adorning it, eerie and terrifying.
Li Qu felt a sudden chill run down her spine, as if she were having a happy picnic in a safe outdoor area when she suddenly found herself being watched by a lurking, cold-blooded beast, and her heart almost stopped beating.
She swallowed involuntarily, and before she could speak, her chin was captured by fingers as cold as jade.
Whether you're a good match or not isn't up to you to decide.
"Li, keep your little fangs in check, or I'll have your entire family executed by slow slicing."
(Omitted: 10,000 words about the yellow bikes that failed the review)
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