Chapter 38 Retreat
"Face the wall! Face the wall! Anyone who looks around will have their eyes gouged out!"
The jailer banged on the cell bars, issuing a warning.
The curious prisoners immediately stood obediently facing the wall, no longer daring to make a sound.
As the sunlight shone down on her head, the force on her arm loosened, and Li Qu stumbled forward two steps before stopping.
Zhou Jin, expressionless, instructed Xu Mama and the coachman and guards waiting outside: "Send her back."
He turned to go back, but Li Qu grabbed his sleeve.
He glanced at her coldly through the thin veil: "Let go!"
Tears streamed down her face through the thin veil of her veil as she pleaded softly, "Please stop the torture. Whatever you wish to know, I will tell you without reservation."
"How exactly do you mean 'tell me everything'?" Zhou Jin sarcastically asked. "Make up another excuse like 'you had no choice but to go south because Wu Liu cheated you out of money and sex' to fool me!"
"Heh, you probably don't think I'd send someone to investigate your past!"
"But don't you think about it? There are so many beautiful women, why is it that only you can get close to me!"
"It's just that I think you have no background and wouldn't dare to act recklessly!"
"And yet, you dared to hide so much from me, and even dared to lie blatantly!"
She took two steps forward, closing the distance between them, her expression one of utter grievance: "It was truly not my intention to give you the runaround, but..."
"What do you care if the words you uttered when your life was threatened were just evasions!" he roared. "I underestimated your abilities!"
"concubine……"
"Shut up!" Zhou Jin grew angrier the more he thought about it. "You brought this situation upon yourself!"
"As for your relatives who have suffered because of you, they are actually more humane towards you than I expected!"
"If bribery hadn't worked, they would still be covering up your lies if it weren't for the bloodshed! They would still insist on the story that 'you had no choice but to go south because Wu Liu cheated you out of money and sex'!"
"But your good second sister is really stubborn. Even after being tortured, she still didn't utter a single word of the truth!"
"But don't worry, I have plenty of ways to get people to talk!"
"I want to see just how much truth they can actually spill out!"
He seemed annoyed that the veil had covered her eyes, preventing him from seeing the regret and fear in them. He reached out and ripped the veil off her face.
Her broken, yet brimming eyes appeared in his pupils without warning.
He had seen her cry before; on the contrary, he enjoyed watching her cry. Her pitiful appearance, with her soft, watery eyelashes, always stirred his heart.
But he had never seen her so heartbroken.
He unconsciously looked away and forcefully pulled his sleeve back: "You better pray that they tell the truth after they see blood!"
He seemed to turn to leave, but before he could take a step, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her round, soft body tightly against him, her head nestled against his chest, feeling suppressed, sad, and utterly helpless.
Sensing his body stiffen momentarily, she slightly increased the distance between them, lifting her delicate makeup, which was covered in tear stains but not smudged at all.
Tears that had been building up for a long time finally streamed down her cheeks.
He couldn't bear to look at her broken and pitiful state.
She said, "When I set off south, the Crown Princess was already more than eight months pregnant."
"If I am exposed and captured by the Prince, my fate will be unpredictable."
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her delicate eyebrows furrow, her eyes redder, and her tears more fierce: "I have no parents or family to rely on, and you never cared about my well-being back then. How could I dare to utter a single word?"
"I simply don't want to be the prince's concubine. I don't like him. What's wrong with that?"
She closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face. She rested her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat slowly become erratic.
Zhou Jin tensed his jaw. He hated the tone of her voice when she said "Prince," as he always felt there was a hint of tenderness in it.
Thinking of Xiao Cong's doting care for her in the north, yet unwilling to offend her, he felt frustrated and irritable.
But he was the one who met her later!
She was wrong to lie, but what could she do? As she said, she had no one to rely on; she just didn't like Xiao Cong.
If she likes Xiao Cong, what business is it of his?
She slowly tightened her arms around him, like a rootless duckweed seeking a sliver of support.
As if resigned to his fate, he raised his hand to remove her arms from his waist, stopping her in her tracks, and took two steps back to increase the distance between them.
He said, "It's not that I didn't trust you."
The implication was that he no longer believed a single word she uttered.
He conceded helplessly: "If you and Xiao Cong are truly honest and upright, then I will pretend this never happened!"
He seemed angry at himself for saying such a thing, his tone quite somber.
Xu Mama, who had been waiting on the sidelines like a ghost, breathed a long, slow sigh of relief.
This matter is finally going to be over.
But Li Qu's heart was sinking.
He still refused to give up.
Although her relationship with Xiao Cong can be described as open and honest, she did not refuse to become his concubine because she disliked him.
She didn't want to be anyone's concubine.
His eyes were calm and deep, containing a heavy pressure and a strong warning, as he looked at Li Qu.
Li Qu pulled his hand, her brows furrowed in a pleading manner: "Master..."
"go back!"
His forgiveness of her once doesn't mean he'll stop.
He doesn't allow any corner around him that he can't control.
His tone was sharp, and she subconsciously swallowed, still trying to plead for something: "This concubine..."
Zhou Jin yanked off the jade pendant hanging from her waist and warned impatiently, "Go back!"
Seeing the coldness on Zhou Jin's face, she knew further words were futile. Taking advantage of his remaining patience, she released his hand, took out the purse the old lady had given her earlier from her sleeve, and handed it to him with both hands:
“This is a purse that I embroidered for my eldest sister before; they all recognize it.”
"My eldest sister just gave birth to her second child, a boy. The baby's hair is inside."
"Show them this item and say that it was given to them by your concubine, so that they can tell the truth and avoid being tortured. They will naturally tell you everything they know."
Zhou Jin glanced at the purse, then reached out and took it.
As Zhou Jin took the purse, Li Qu stepped forward, looked up, and boldly kissed his lips.
After the kiss, she looked at him pleadingly. She didn't say a word, yet it seemed she had said everything.
His fingers twitched unconsciously in his sleeve. He watched her bow respectfully, then step back and turn around, glancing back every few steps, before being helped into the carriage by Granny Xu.
When the carriage curtain was lifted, her worried and concerned expression was revealed.
Zhou Jin closed his eyes, clutched the purse in his hand, and turned to enter the dark prison.
hateful!
He actually fell for her honey trap!
After everyone left, Li Qu lowered the carriage curtain and slowly leaned back against the carriage seat.
The coachman urged the horse to move forward, but Li Qu stopped him.
The coachman hesitated, saying, "Madam, the Third Master gave the order, and we dare not disobey."
"Wait a moment."
"This..." The coachman pleaded with Granny Xu, "Granny, please persuade her."
Xu Mama looked at Li Qu: "If you are still worried, Madam, this old servant will go and pass on a message to the Li family."
"If Third Master is determined to get to the bottom of things, they will suffer less if they tell the truth."
Li Qu looked at Granny Xu.
She actually wanted Granny Xu to go, but she was afraid that Granny Xu would be implicated.
Her gaze shifted to Granny Xu's hands, which were wrapped into rice dumplings.
Xu Mama smiled and said, "Don't worry, Auntie. Since Third Master is willing to back down, he won't implicate this old servant. I'll act according to the circumstances."
"Then please be careful."
"Oh, Auntie, please wait a moment."
As Granny Xu lifted the curtain to get out of the carriage, she happened to run into Granny Rong, who had just arrived and was about to get out of the carriage as well.
Upon learning this, Li Qu got out of the carriage and greeted Rong Mama, saying, "I have offended you in the past, please forgive me, Mama."
Granny Rong quickly stepped aside: "You're too polite, Madam. This old servant is just following orders. Please bear with me, Madam."
"I will go to the old lady to apologize as soon as I return to the manor. May I ask if you, Granny, are going to ask to see the Third Master?"
Seeing that Li Qu had clearly been crying, Rong Mama couldn't help but ask, "Hasn't Madam seen Third Master?"
"No, it's just that Third Master has not allowed me to see my family."
"I am concerned about them and would like to ask Granny Xu to go in and meet them on my behalf, and also to pass on a message that they should speak honestly and suffer less."
Rong Mama saw through Li Qu's intention: "This old servant is here on orders to request an audience with the Third Master."
"Please allow Granny Xu to accompany me. If the Third Master is ever angry, please put in a good word for me. I would be eternally grateful."
As Li Qu spoke, she bowed to Granny Rong.
Rong Mama raised her hand in a gesture of support: "If you trust Madam, this old servant will go with Xu Mama."
"I will always remember your great kindness, Granny."
"No, no, I wouldn't dare."
After watching Rong Mama and Xu Mama enter the prison, Li Qu got into the carriage and waited.
Waiting always feels like an eternity. Li Qu lifted the carriage curtain and gazed at the prison gate.
After an unknown amount of time, Li Qu saw Huai Yan and a man in blue riding towards them.
Huaiyan was Zhou Jin's right-hand man when he was away from home.
The man in blue was tall and elegant, with his hair ribbon flowing in the wind. He exuded a refined and handsome air. Although Li Qu could not see his face clearly, she could imagine that he must have a jade-like appearance.
The man was extremely perceptive. Li Qu had only glanced at him twice when he suddenly turned around, his sharp, hawk-like eyes locking onto the carriage window.
Li Qu released her grip extremely quickly; the man only had time to see her slender, white fingers withdraw from the curtain.
Huaiyan recognized the carriage in the mansion, but did not know who was inside. He gestured to Lin Xiaocong, "Lord Lin has just arrived in Hezhou and insists on seeing Third Master without even resting. Please come in!"
Lin Xiaocong glanced at the prison, then at Huaiyan: "Master Zhou has quite the refined taste. He's unwell and instead of recuperating at home, he's come to the prison to conduct official business?"
Huaiyan gave a forced smile: "I am physically and mentally ill, and only someone in prison can cure me."
This made Lin Xiaocong somewhat suspicious that Huaiyan might be planning to lure him into prison and subject him to inhumane torture.
But he smiled and said, "I have come by imperial decree to cure Third Master's chronic illness as soon as possible so that I can return to the capital to report back. Thank you for your trouble."
The two walked towards the prison, and at the prison gate, they happened to run into Granny Xu who was coming out of the prison.
Huaiyan and Granny Xu nodded in acknowledgment.
Unaware of what was going on, Lin Xiaocong glanced at Granny Xu's hands, which were wrapped up like a rice dumpling, her brows furrowed, and her expressionless, solemn face, and felt even more strongly that there was a trap waiting for him in the prison.
Full of vigilance, he secretly took out a pill of powder that crumbled at the slightest touch and held it to his fingertip.
Little did he know that what awaited him was an extraordinary woman who would bring him immense shame and disgrace.
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