Chapter 50 Coaxing
Zhou Jin lifted her chin with his index finger, turning her face towards him so quickly that he didn't give her time to hide the true emotions in his eyes.
He thought he would see shock, anger, or even resentment in her eyes.
Since he learned that she was unwilling to become Xiao Cong's concubine, he had never believed her lies about liking him.
However, no.
Her eyes were filled with unexpected joy.
She smiled happily, her bright eyes filled with admiration that made his heart race and a touch of just the right amount of shyness.
He was taken aback.
She shyly took his hand that was hooking his chin, grasped his large hands with both of hers, pressed her face against the back of his hand, and gently rubbed her face against him with joy and satisfaction.
He suddenly remembered that year when he traveled with his teacher to Weishan Lake, and the magnificent scene of lotus flowers floating on the endless blue waves that came into view.
A gentle lake breeze caresses my face, and the fragrance of lotus blossoms fills the air.
At that moment, the fatigue of the journey suddenly disappeared, and my heart felt soothed, relaxed, and exceptionally satisfied.
Just like now, she nuzzled against his heart, filling the void deep within him.
She placed his hand on her chest.
He could feel her vibrant heartbeat.
She looked at him, her cheeks slowly flushing, and smiled as she said, "If I could be your concubine, even if you were to find someone new and betray me, I would have no regrets."
He watched as she reluctantly let go of his hand, sat down, picked up her pen, dipped it in ink, and signed her name on the document without hesitation.
She gently blew on the words on the paper.
This was a situation he hadn't anticipated, and his mind went blank for a moment.
Were all the things she said before true?
My heart was beating very fast, yet I felt an unusual calmness inside.
Night fell, blurring the emotions beneath her long eyelashes.
As the candlelight gradually brightened, he could only see her gentle and beautiful face in the pale yellow candlelight, which captivated his heart.
His Adam's apple bobbed unconsciously.
She put down the dried document, pressed her fingerprint on it, and then looked at the bright red ink on the document, a satisfied smile appearing on her face.
The servant wiped her thumbs clean, and she picked up the document with both hands, then presented it to him as if it were a treasure.
She said somewhat shyly.
"My lord, you must protect me well from now on. My family is poor and I have no one to rely on but you."
His throat was dry.
It was the result he wanted, but he inexplicably felt a pang of sadness.
She possessed great beauty and came from a poor, desolate village, overcoming countless hardships and dangers step by step.
'My third sister was originally capable of being the head of the household, the legitimate wife. Why did she willingly debase herself to become a concubine of the Prince of Yan's heir?'
This is why we fled south!
'He's not worthy, and you, Master Zhou, are even less worthy!'
"You've gone to such lengths to hear, pressing for details, because you've fallen for my third sister, haven't you?"
"Hahaha, Master Zhou, my third sister is so unlucky to have met the Prince of Yan's heir! She's had the worst luck of eight lifetimes to run into you!!"
'The Crown Prince of Yan pretended not to hear her thoughts, which at least showed her respect! But you are utterly despicable, daring to lust after her and force yourself upon her!'
"However, the Crown Prince of Yan isn't much better than you. You two are evenly matched; it's like the pot calling the kettle black!"
'You all claim to like her, yet you all want to keep her in a cage, even though you know perfectly well that she loves the sky!'
'None of you are good enough for my third sister. She is truly wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!!'
Li Rong's terrifying voice, which nearly made him vomit blood, suddenly swirled in his mind.
He looked at her intently: "You really want to?"
A smile bloomed on her beautiful face: "I am thrice blessed."
His heart was pounding, and he was relentlessly radical.
Every year from now on, on this day, he will only remember the beautiful smile she gave him.
He has been cursed.
The autumn rain arrives, dancing in the wind.
Zhou Jin stayed overnight.
She presented a nightgown embroidered with blooming lilies, which she had already prepared.
She said contentedly and obediently, "Even if it's not an arranged marriage or a wedding with eight sedan chairs and a grand entrance, I still dream of being with Jinlang for a hundred years."
His heart softened instantly.
He pitied her terribly, wearing the clothes she made herself, and held her in his arms, wishing he could meld her into his very bones.
He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her gently.
He had never been so patient in coaxing her.
She asked, "Jinlang, do you like your concubine?"
He carried her to the bedside and pushed her down into the bed curtains.
He caressed her tenderly, saying, "I like you, I like you."
He unconsciously repeated, "Aqu, I like you."
He was captivated by her supple waist, by her every smile and gesture, by her from head to toe.
He was overjoyed; he had obtained the treasure he desired.
He promised her, "Aqu, I will never let you down."
She responded to his murmur, "My lord, I love you..."
He fainted.
He's gone mad again.
“Little Aqu…”
"I love you, I love you to the extreme."
Waves surge and surge, clouds rise and fall, and one forgets all worldly cares.
Autumn rain weaves outside the window, while spring is in full bloom inside.
The candlelight shone on the lotus-shaped glass windowpane, reflecting a beautiful luster.
In the glass-like surface, tiny fish swam happily, chasing each other with joy. They rejoiced in the dampness and crisp autumn air.
The wind stopped and the rain ceased; dawn was approaching.
Before dawn, the servants, dressed in thick clothes, began sweeping up the fallen leaves.
As dawn broke, everyone in the house was already busy.
By daybreak, everything had come back to life.
Inside Shou'an Hall.
The old lady sat on the couch at the head of the table, grinding incense.
The document for taking a concubine, which Zhou Jin had sent her that morning, was still lying beside her.
All the servants in the room had left, leaving only Granny Rong to help the old lady.
Li Qu lay prostrate on the ground, utterly humble.
After a long pause, the old lady finally spoke: "Is my son so unworthy that he is not worthy of your beautiful appearance?"
Li Qu adopted an even more humble posture: "Third Master is as bright as the stars and the moon. I am of humble birth and dare not presume to be worthy of you. I beg the old lady to grant my request."
"I will do my utmost to help the old lady achieve her wish."
The old lady didn't even look up as she sifted the ground spices: "Hmm, tell me, what information have you gotten so far?"
"Last night, the Third Master told me that my brother-in-law's official position needs to be promoted."
"It's like a chessboard; if one piece is moved, the others can follow suit."
"The old lady can take this opportunity to have the younger generation from the capital transferred to the south for their posts, and then proceed gradually."
The old woman paused in her incense-sifting motion, then continued, "He certainly dotes on you!"
"Promoting Zhao Lianqing's official position is nothing more than raising your status so that you can smoothly take a concubine and have her registered in the family register."
Nowadays, the requirements for officials to take concubines are quite high.
Zhou Jin's official position and status were beyond the reach of a poor woman.
If one were to force a marriage, the woman would typically be a lowly concubine with no title or status, someone who could be discarded at any time.
After giving birth to children, she would receive the favor of her elders, mistress, and lord, and be promoted to a concubine and included in the family register for her meritorious service in raising offspring.
This is why, even though Li Qu was not officially registered in the family register, everyone in the household still addressed her as "Auntie".
However, the identity of the official's wife's younger sister is different.
This glimpse reveals just how much Zhou Jin wanted to confirm Li Qu's identity.
The old lady used a sifter to fill the gaps in the incense seal pattern with the sifted spices: "Is that all?"
"If the official transfer is completed, a group of relevant personnel can be taken south."
“It is only natural for the old lady to invite her female relatives and younger family members to come south to show their filial piety during festivals.”
"With the Third Master's wedding approaching, there are many trivial matters to attend to. If we can get help from our nephews and other relatives in the capital, we can achieve twice the result with half the effort."
"Like ants moving house, whenever there is a matter that requires Third Master's decision, I can lend a hand."
The old lady's expression was unreadable. She raised her hand to shovel away the excess incense ash, took the incense seal, lit the incense, and did it all in one smooth motion.
Granny Rong put the lid on the incense burner and placed it on the incense table.
The old lady dusted off her hands, faced Li Qu, sat up straight, and said calmly, "I knew you weren't stupid; you've hit the nail on the head regarding the transfer."
She paused for a moment, then said, "I'll only agree to do one thing for you. Are you sure it's this?"
Li Qu kowtowed: "Please, old lady, suppress the document."
The old lady nodded: "Alright, you'll still have a chance to back out once the eldest son's family returns to Hezhou."
Li Qu breathed a sigh of relief: "I thank you for your kindness, Madam."
The old lady was still unhappy.
Her own exceptionally talented son was being disliked by others!
She sneered, "You just happened to run into him at the right time!"
"If you were to properly choose a lady from a prestigious family as a concubine, given your status, you wouldn't even be qualified to have someone announce your arrival!"
"You don't care about being his concubine, but don't you think about what kind of trouble your appearance will bring you if you leave him one day!"
Even though your brother-in-law Zhao Lianqing is upright and trustworthy, a higher official rank can still have an absolute advantage!
"Not to mention that the prince of Yan is eyeing you covetously."
"Go back and think it over carefully. There is still plenty of time. You can change your mind at any time. I will not let the third son know about these trivial matters."
Li Qu bowed to the old lady again and respectfully took his leave.
After Li Qu left, the old lady slammed her hand on the table in anger, causing the incense-making tools on the table to 'dangle' and 'dance'.
“Even though Master Huichi’s prediction of our marriage is ‘a match made in heaven,’ I still have to curse her.”
"You ungrateful wretch!"
I'm so angry!
Li Qu, supported by Granny Xu's arm, stumbled away from Shou'an Hall. She felt a pang of sadness at the old lady's anger, but a weight had been lifted from her heart.
The only person in the Zhou family who could stop the concubine-taking document from going to the government was the old lady.
She was prepared for the old lady's explanation.
She was able to travel safely from Yan to Hezhou because she was skilled at concealing her face.
Her family was afraid that her beauty would cause trouble, so they wouldn't expose her flaws.
The old lady's threats are like throwing the baby out with the bathwater; they may have a chance, but the probability is extremely small and controllable.
After leaving Hezhou, she will go to the capital to make her way in the world.
At that time, we will not be afraid of Xiao Cong or Zhou Jin coming to the capital to die.
The conflict between the Zhou family, the royal family, and the Yan region will become her protective shield.
The more she thought about it, the more hopeful she felt about life.
Her willingness to risk everything for the cause was not in vain.
Upon reaching the entrance of Fanghua Garden, Li Qu was blocked at the door by people carrying things.
Huaiqiu was still giving instructions: "Be careful, be careful, these are priceless items, don't break them."
Li Qu and Granny Xu exchanged a glance.
Granny Xu stepped forward and asked, "Young Master Huaiqiu, what are all these boxes and boxes?"
Upon seeing that it was Li Qu and Granny Xu, Huaiqiu quickly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Auntie."
Li Qu smiled and nodded.
Huaiqiu explained with a smile, "Third Master asked me to send some things to my aunt for her own protection."
"Not to mention shops and estates, we also have antiques, calligraphy and paintings, gold and silver."
Granny Xu was so surprised she was hit on the head, and grabbed Huaiqiu, exclaiming, "So many!!"
Huaiqiu laughed: "These are just things from the Third Master's mansion's storeroom; there are more outside!"
"Third Master said that the items outside should be sent directly to Qin Garden and not transported into the mansion."
"Great news! Great news!!" Granny Xu excitedly turned around to look at Li Qu, only to see that Li Qu was just smiling faintly.
She remains calm and composed in the face of both honor and disgrace; she truly lives up to her status as my own aunt!
She quickly withdrew her hand from Huaiqiu's and straightened up. But her lips still stretched into a wide grin: "You've all worked hard."
Huaiqiu smiled broadly: "Third Master was worried that the concubine's private property was meager and that she would be looked down upon in the future when entertaining guests and when the young master got married, so he specially arranged for the concubine to have some protection."
"Third Master treats his concubine very well."
Huai Xiang also brought Huai Shuang from inside the courtyard.
"Greetings to my aunt."
Li Qu smiled faintly: "Thank you both for your hard work."
"It's my duty," Huaixiang said politely with a slight smile. "I'm currently reconciling the accounts with Cuiguo and Hongguo and putting the goods into storage. If there's anything I need to ask you for advice, Madam."
Li Qu gestured for her to speak.
"Some of the items inside are suitable for the concubine's daily use, while others can be treasured and used as betrothal gifts for the young masters in the future."
"For example, agarwood, ancient paintings, etc."
"Do you think we should compile them into separate catalogs for easier management in the future?"
Li Qu: "..."
She understood why Zhou Jin gave her things to rely on. It was simply because he genuinely wanted to provide her with support and put her at ease.
But why is this bringing up the young master's marriage?
She's only sixteen!
She couldn't understand.
What completely unrelated thing is this?
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