Chapter 6 Unwilling
Li Qu knew that Zhou Jin's patience was limited, and that Aunt Li's warning was the old lady's last act of tolerance.
She was unwilling to accept it.
She felt as if a stone was pressing down on her shoulders, trying to bend her spine, wear down her spirit, and nail her firmly to the mud.
She felt short of breath.
It felt as if I had returned to Yicheng, to the Prince of Yan's mansion.
It was as if Lin Wanru had pulled him behind a screen, and he had witnessed the Princess of Yan beating a concubine to death.
Li Qu no longer remembered the reason, only that vibrant life, fear, pain, and despair disappeared into a world of spring flowers and autumn moon.
Lin Wanru looked at her with concern: "Did I scare you?"
She smiled gently and sweetly: "Don't be afraid, this is all common. In the inner quarters, as long as concubines are dutiful, most of them can live out their lives in peace."
Like a caring older sister, she gently comforted her back: "What's terrible is that of a concubine who has lost favor. If she's lucky, she can live out her days in a secluded courtyard. If she's unlucky, she might be passed around several times and suffer a fate worse than death."
“After all, concubines are bought and sold, like pigs and sheep, or even like pigs and dogs.” Her hand paused, withdrew, and patted her shoulder.
Her smile remained gentle and graceful.
But Li Qu remembers that at that time, her heart was trembling and her hands and feet were ice cold.
Aunt Li looked at Li Qu, who remained silent, her eyes fixed, her body trembling more and more. Her solemn expression turned worried: "Aunt?"
Granny Xu rushed forward to help Li Qu, only to find that Li Qu was burning up with fever. She exclaimed in surprise, "Auntie!"
Li Qu suddenly felt a tightness in her chest.
shut up!
shut up! !
She was of good birth, wealthy and beautiful; she could have been the principal wife, so why did she choose to become a lowly concubine in that transaction?
Suddenly everything went black, and Li Qu collapsed onto the bed.
Fanghua Garden was in complete chaos.
Li Qu felt as if she had returned to that afternoon six years ago, in the Prince of Yan's mansion, where snow was falling heavily, red plum blossoms were in full bloom, and the young man kissed her cheek.
She was astonished.
His cheeks were slightly flushed, and his eyes were gentle.
At that moment, her heart began to pound like thunder, and her mind raced through a series of romantic fantasies.
The red plum blossoms by the window cannot compare to the radiance of his lips.
She could also see the passion and affection Xiao Cong had for her in his eyes.
A fifteen-year-old boy can't hide his thoughts at all.
The fifteen-year-old nobleman was not afraid to express his feelings.
Following the previous tentative exploration and light touch, the next lean in signifies strategic planning and complete control of the situation.
It wasn't until she left the strict and grand mansion of the Prince of Yan and returned to her own chaotic two-courtyard home that she suddenly realized she had been having a dream.
Upon waking from the dream, she tried to avoid being alone with Xiao Cong, and her attitude towards him became more respectful but also somewhat distant.
She knew that even though she was disguised as a man and mingled in the circle of wealthy young men, she could only be compared to the dogs around them.
Xiao Cong mistakenly thought that she was arrogant and was stringing him along because she coveted the position of Crown Princess.
He said, "Aqu, it is good for the Crown Princess of the Prince of Yan's mansion to be skilled in music, chess, calligraphy and painting to cultivate her character, and it is not good to be good at managing a household. The responsibilities of a wife of the royal family are not something that ordinary people can bear."
She remembered the way Xiao Cong looked at her then—it contained doting affection, a casual possessiveness, and a hint of condescending reminder.
She avoided his gaze and pretended to look at the scenery in the distance.
On the field were not only her and Xiao Cong, but also her mentor Wu Xubai.
Wu Xubai clearly knew something.
He laughed and replied, "Our Aqu only comes from a humble background; otherwise, she wouldn't have to be subservient to others."
She understood the unspoken meaning in their words and took the opportunity to express her true thoughts.
At that time, everything was going smoothly for her, and the silver in her Tongbao Money Shop account had already yielded a five-figure dividend.
"If you come from a humble background, you shouldn't aspire to higher positions, and therefore you shouldn't have to submit to others."
Just then, Sanbao, the assistant of the manager of Xianbaozhai, the business the three of them owned, brought over the account books.
Sanbao is the nephew of the owner of Xianbaozhai. His birth mother has passed away, and his stepmother is mean. He left home at a young age to live with the owner of Xianbaozhai.
He is diligent, quick-witted, hardworking, and ambitious, and is three years older than her.
She and Sanbao are on the same level.
She said sincerely, "Someone like me is a perfect match for someone like Brother Sanbao."
Sanbao, unaware that she was a woman, looked terrified and knelt down, kowtowing: "Master, please forgive me, I am not interested in men."
She spat out a mouthful of tea, laughed out loud, and eased the somewhat awkward atmosphere in the room.
But the next day, Sanbao disappeared.
Since she met Xiao Cong when she was eight years old, she had always been humble and subservient to him. However, they had their first argument because of the Sanbao incident.
Xiao Cong bluntly told her, "Aqu, you have always been smart. You are already showing your first signs of intelligence, and you will attract attention in the future."
Now that I have kissed you, I will not allow anyone else to kiss you.
Given your background, being made a concubine is already a great honor for you.
If you insist on marrying someone else, I can't guarantee that I won't miss you.
After all, our interests are intertwined, and we can't completely sever ties.
It's fairer to others than to do it secretly and clandestinely; it's better to do it openly and legitimately.
What do you think?
Fortunately, she was only ten years old at the time, and it would be a long, long time before she came of age.
Xiao Cong was only fifteen years old. Although he was intelligent, precocious, and well-versed in human nature, he was still a boy.
How did she do it?
She chose to lie low, feign compliance, deliberately lure, exploit, and then turn and flee...
Li Qu had a fever, which came on quickly but subsided just as fast. After one night, she was fully recovered.
She had just sat up in bed when Granny Xu opened the bed curtains: "Auntie, you're awake?"
Then he touched her forehead and, seeing that Li Qu's fever had subsided, he quickly chanted Amitabha Buddha.
Breakfast was a light porridge with lean meat, and Li Qu ate two bowls, which helped her regain some vitality.
Aunt Li came again, this time with a doctor.
After examining Li Qu's pulse, the doctor said that Li Qu's illness was caused by a combination of fear and anxiety, and that once the emotional knot was untied, the illness would subside.
He also prescribed a health-preserving medicine for Li Qu.
Li Qu refused to take the medicine: "Unless my second sister personally prepares and brews it."
Granny Xu advised, "We can't trouble the second young lady to run to the mansion all day long."
Ignoring her, Li Qu leaned against the soft pillow and said weakly to Aunt Li, "I was willful before and caused you trouble, Aunt."
Aunt Li was slightly surprised, but when she saw that Li Qu had come to her senses, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Since it was rare for the Third Master to be willing to be close to women, she didn't dare to kill this concubine.
"As long as Auntie understands."
"Please trouble you to pass on a message to the old lady, Aunt. I was wrong before. Once I recover, I will go to apologize and pay my respects to her."
Aunt Li, relieved of a heavy responsibility, bowed to Li Qu and then left with the doctor.
As soon as Aunt Li left, Granny Xu followed closely behind: "Madam, what about the concubine's document..."
Li Qu closed her eyes: "I will tell Master myself."
Seeing that Li Qu didn't want to say anything more, Xu Mama didn't want to spoil the mood. She then told Hongguo and Cuiguo to help Li Qu get up.
After resting for two days, Li Qu felt increasingly lethargic.
Seeing Li Qu's face, which had lost its smile, Xu Mama dared not mention the concubine document again.
They gathered around Li Qu, either wiping the table or using a feather duster to sweep away the dust from the furnishings in the room.
Li Qu removed the handkerchief covering her face: "Granny, please speak frankly."
Then Granny Xu began to speak from the bottom of her heart.
“Aunt, please don’t hold a grudge against me for whipping you before. If I hadn’t acted tougher, and the Third Master had punished you directly, it wouldn’t have been as simple as just one whipping.”
“Aunt, you are a smart woman. You were able to make all the masters in the mansion smile. It shouldn’t be difficult for you to coax the Third Master.”
"As for what you said to Third Master before about having someone you like, whether it's true or not, don't mention it again in the future."
"Once your first wife enters the house, and you are able to give birth to a son or daughter, your life will be settled for the rest of your days."
"Now that Hongguo and Cuiguo have been assigned to the concubine's courtyard, we will share the same fate, whether it be prosperity or ruin."
"As long as my aunt is willing, with our unity as mistress and servants, we will surely be able to gain a foothold in the third branch of the family in the future."
The red and green fruits nodded vigorously without giving a direct answer.
Li Qu burst out laughing, laughing until tears welled up in her eyes.
Cuiguo said earnestly, "What are you laughing at, Aunt? Putting everything else aside, your looks and figure alone are enough to keep Third Master here!"
The other two remained noncommittal.
Sure enough, Third Master came to Fanghua Garden again that night.
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