Chapter 35 Going Mad
The moonlight formed a curtain, a breathtaking sight.
In Fanghua Garden, no one was in the mood to appreciate the moon.
The tears in Li Qu's eyes fell and gathered again, gathered and fell again.
She looked at the furious Zhou Jin and slowly said, "My innocence may be unknown to others, but surely you, my lord, know it?"
"If you weren't innocent, do you think you'd still be able to speak right now!"
Zhou Jin stared intently at Li Qu's face: "How dare you lie to me?"
Tears streamed down her face: "What can I do? Tell you, my lord, that I escaped from Yan?"
"How could I know whether you would send me back?"
Zhou Jin's face was cold, his cheeks taut: "What have you and Xiao Cong done together!"
Li Qu closed her eyes.
He kissed you!
He touched you!
"Is it just one last step? Has he done everything he should and shouldn't have done to you?"
His hand, which was gripping her neck, suddenly pinched her cheek, forcing her to face him: "Tell the truth!"
"No!"
"I want the truth!"
"He and his fiancée, Miss Lin, had a prior agreement that he would not take a concubine into his room before they had a child, and he had never untied a concubine's clothes."
"How did you come to know Xiao Cong?"
"Wu Xubai acted as matchmaker."
"And how did you come to know Wu Liu!"
“He was attracted to men, so I dressed as a man to gain his pity and attention. Later, when he learned that I was a woman, he asked me to get to know Xiao Cong. I had no other choice at the time.”
"Xiao Cong likes you!"
"I do not know."
"Xiao Cong kissed you."
"yes."
The fist slammed down suddenly. Zhou Jin looked at the woman who was so frightened that she closed her eyes, grabbed her by the collar, and lifted her onto the bed.
She dared not resist, cowering on the cramped chaise lounge, her tear-filled eyes glistening in the moonlight.
He loosened his belt and almost violently tore off her clothes, then pressed his body against hers.
He kissed her, kissed her tenderly and deeply, determined to wipe away any trace of other men's touch from her face and body.
He was unrestrained, making her unable to bear it and bringing her to tears, watching her helpless sobs.
He clenched his teeth, his heart aching and throbbing with the thought that if she hadn't escaped Yan, she would be being bullied by another man right now.
He hated this feeling that was both unfamiliar and becoming increasingly clear.
He tortured every inch of her skin, punishing her for her deception and resenting that she had been kissed by another man.
"Call me by my name!"
She pleaded weakly, "Third Master, please be gentle."
Sweat trickled down the smooth lines of his neck, across his chest, and down his abs.
The moonlight enveloped the two of them without restraint, and he unabashedly depicted her beauty in the moonlight.
"Call me Jinlang!"
She was gentle and obedient, with a soft and delicate voice.
"Jinlang..."
He gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and became absorbed in the shouts, completely forgetting his original intention in drawing his sword.
By the time Zhou Jin stopped, it was already late at night.
Seeing that Zhou Jin had gone to the bathhouse, Cuiguo nervously entered the room and found clothes for Li Qu to wear.
The little girl was so frightened that her hands trembled uncontrollably.
Inside the bathhouse, the sound of water being poured over her head was particularly loud. Li Qu told Cui Guo to leave.
She was glad that she had figured out Zhou Jin's personality beforehand, and now that she was facing a life-or-death crisis, she had probably solved half of it.
The sound of shuffling footsteps approached, and Zhou Jin came out of the bathroom and yelled at her, "Aren't you coming in yet!"
Li Qu hurried inside.
He stood there swaggering and ordered her, "Serve the master while he bathes."
She stepped forward, took the bath towel, and scrubbed him while pouring water on him, just like she would do in a public bathhouse.
Although he came from a scholarly background, he did the work of a military officer. He had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and strong muscles. When she rubbed him, it was like rubbing a block of iron, which was very difficult.
He grabbed her wrist and scolded her, "Clumsy! Xiao Cong didn't send anyone to teach you how to serve a man while he bathes!"
She shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes.
"You've lost your tongue, you can't speak!"
She looked up at him, her eyes already red and swollen, filled with grievance: "I have not yet learned the way of serving others."
Zhou Jin felt like there was something stuck in his throat, neither going up nor down.
Only men themselves know the inherent flaws in their nature.
He simply wanted to personally show her beauty, to see her fear, to see her dread, to see her shyness, and to see her vulnerability and susceptibility.
She was once pampered, coveted, and desired by others.
Even now, that person is still searching for her relentlessly!
He practically gritted his teeth: "I'll teach you!"
Li Qu looked up at him, and tears streamed down her face.
"Stop crying! Just because Xiao Cong likes to see you cry doesn't mean I like to see it!"
"Smile!"
"The prince never allows his concubine to cry."
He suddenly grabbed her cheek: "Say it again!"
She was extremely stubborn: "My lord is being unreasonable, waaaaah... I'm so wronged, waaaah..."
He yelled at her, "Stop crying! Do you hear me?!"
"Waaaaah..."
"Get out!" He shoved her aside.
Instead of leaving, she opened her arms and hugged him.
She pressed her face against his chest, and her crying turned into careful sobs.
She flattered him, saying, "I'll learn."
Her shoulders twitched: "Master, please don't abandon me."
Zhou Jin gritted his teeth: "Does Xiao Cong love your delicate and soft appearance?"
She looked up at him, shook her head, and hugged him tighter: "No."
She sobbed, "When I was young, he treated me very well. But when I came of age, his habits were formed, and Miss Lin protected me and prevented us from being alone together. So he only sent me things occasionally."
He looked down at her, remaining silent for a long time.
She looked at him intently, her face streaked with tears, both lovely and pitiful: "I don't want to go back to Yan, I don't like him. I like you, Master..."
He lost in the end.
He believed her lies.
He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her passionately.
He forgot how fiercely she had resisted and cursed him.
He forgot that in the beginning he just wanted a suitable tool.
He was hopelessly infatuated with her docile facade.
He loved her fiercely, letting her know the price of saying she liked him.
He felt like he had gone mad on this Mid-Autumn Festival night.
He decided to let her go for the time being.
The candlelight flickered until all was quiet, and dawn was approaching.
He watched her sleeping soundly in the soft bedding, wiped his face with his hand, and got up to walk outside.
As he passed the main hall, he pulled out the long sword stuck in the ground and didn't look back.
Xu Mama, who had been standing by the door, suddenly lost all her strength and collapsed to the ground as he left.
She had witnessed Third Master killing someone with her own eyes.
They acted ruthlessly and without hesitation.
Blood splattered three feet deep, yet he remained unfazed.
He was only seven years old then!
She trembled uncontrollably, her heart pounding with fear, and the more she thought about it, the more terrified she became.
Hongguo and Cuiguo, who had been relying on her as their pillar of support, suddenly collapsed to the ground upon seeing that she was even more vulnerable than themselves, trembling as they hugged her and cried out, "Granny!"
Granny Xu hurriedly stood up again: "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, it's alright, it's alright."
She walked to the bedside, lifted the curtain, and saw the woman lying on the mattress, her black hair like clouds, her skin as white as jade, her face beautiful and serene, her breathing even and long.
She lowered the curtain, told Hongguo and Cuiguo to tidy up the house, and then went out to negotiate with Huaiqiu, who was guarding the gate, about repairing the courtyard gate.
As for the rest, the old lady and the third master will handle it.
Everything seemed to have returned to calm.
But Zhou Jin knew that this was just the beginning.
The rage of Xiao Cong, the heir apparent of the Prince of Yan, had already stained the Li family's second courtyard in Yicheng with blood.
The relative who sold her the fake household registration not only received a sum of money from her, but also her family's house and shops in Yicheng.
Now, they have all perished under the long sword of Xiao Cong, the heir apparent of the Prince of Yan.
The note described: "After a month of rigorous investigation, the search yielded no results. It was then discovered that there were errors in the household registration, and the person had already left Yan. The emperor was furious and personally took action, resulting in no one surviving."
Above is Xiao Cong.
Zhou Jin sat in a chair in the study and raised his hand to pinch the space between his eyebrows.
The Zhou family had a rift with the imperial family, and the people of Yan watched from the sidelines, hoping to reap the benefits.
If Xiao Cong knew she was in Hezhou, would the people of Yan still just watch without taking any action?
If the royal family and Yan join forces, the situation will become very difficult.
The best course of action is to send her back to her homeland.
'I don't want to go back to Yan, I don't like him. I like you, my lord…'
Zhou Jin removed his hand from between his eyebrows and casually draped his arm over the armrest of the seat.
A moment of silence.
He suddenly stood up and kicked over the desk in front of him.
Inside the brocade hall, not even an ant dared to crawl around.
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