Chapter 73 Good boy
By the afternoon, Li Qu could no longer wait and went to Qinyuan Garden.
The sky was overcast and cold, with thick clouds gradually gathering, and the sun would appear for a while and then be hidden behind the clouds.
The north wind howled, as if a heavy snow was about to fall.
Qinyuan was quiet. Li Qu vaguely sensed that something was wrong, but the matter of the contraceptive pill was too important for her to notice.
Refusing the gatekeeper's directions, she took Cuiguo directly to the courtyard where Li's mother lived.
Worried that Cuiguo might overhear her conversation with Li's mother, she left Cuiguo outside the courtyard: "Guard the gate and don't let anyone in, no one."
Cui Guo accepted the order: "Don't worry, Madam. With me here, no one can pass through this gate."
Li Qu smiled and patted Cui Guo on the shoulder.
That's why she took Cuiguo out with her.
Absolute loyalty gives her a sense of security.
Reaching her mother's room, she straightened her clothes, pushed open the door, and softly called, "Mother~"
Stepping into the room, she went straight to the east bedroom where Li's mother was: "Mother, are the things ready?"
Li's mother sat on the bed, still dressed as a new mother, but her expression was...fear, worry...and terror!
Li Qu's back stiffened as the terror of Zhou Jin pointing a long sword at him on Mid-Autumn Festival night enveloped him.
Goosebumps quickly rose on my arms, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, and a cool sensation ran down my scalp.
Breathing stops, and the five senses are magnified infinitely at this moment.
A thumping sound came from behind.
She turned stiffly, her gaze sweeping over the furnishings in the room before finally settling on the tatami mat by the window in the west room.
When she saw the noble and elegant man sitting on the couch, her vision went black instantly.
*
Beneath the west window, Xiao Cong sat on the couch, holding a rattle drum and teasing the baby in swaddling clothes.
Dressed in moon-colored brocade robes, with a jade crown tied high, her perfectly curved profile was outlined by rays of sunlight streaming through the latticed window, flawless.
An air of nobility flowed from his every move; even when his slender fingers held an inexpensive rattle drum, he could make it seem as if an ordinary person was not worthy of owning it.
The thumping sound woke up the sleeping baby in the swaddling clothes, who started crying and moaning.
Li's mother hurriedly got out of bed, went to the west window, and carefully took Xiao Cong's son in her arms.
"You two should talk this out. Aqu... Aqu had no choice in the matter!"
Her voice trembled, and she didn't know what else to say. After she finished speaking, she carefully carried the child out of the room.
In the next room, Fangcaoniang, who used to serve her, was sleeping like a log, as if she had been drugged.
She was afraid there might be sleeping potion in the room, so she only dared to stand by the window with her child for some fresh air.
While soothing the child, she kept her ears perked up, eavesdropping on what was happening next door.
*
The sun in the sky was once again overtaken by the dark clouds and shrouded in them.
The light from the west-facing window dissipated, adding a layer of coolness to Xiao Cong's gentle demeanor.
He was a man whose excellent upbringing and extreme refinement were immediately apparent.
No one spoke, and Li Qu's vision blurred, making it impossible to discern his expression.
I felt only fear and terror.
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, he appeared before her.
He's here!
He came looking for me personally!
Her pleasant voice was like the gentle murmur of a spring, with a hint of deep melody: "My dear, it's been a long time."
Li Qu's heart suddenly tightened.
All the wishful thinking I had while running vanished.
Her legs went weak, and she knelt down in front of him.
"Your Highness!"
Her tremolo betrayed her true feelings.
*
Xiao Cong was extremely well-mannered and polite in public, and his good upbringing gave people a pleasant and welcoming feeling.
But none of the people who know him really think he is a noble and gentle cat.
She had been by his side for eight years and had grown accustomed to his usual dignified and polite manner.
On the day she came of age, she was caught off guard and saw him tear off his veneer of nobility and politeness, revealing only his aggressive side towards her.
He pushed her down onto the couch, kissed her, and showed her tenderness.
His hoarse voice, like long-brewed nectar, entered her ears as he called out, "Sweetie~"
He used to only call her 'Aqu'.
He gently begged her for sex: 'Sweetie~ give it to me~'
She was a flower personally cultivated by Xiao Cong, and when she bloomed, it was only right that Xiao Cong, the one everyone should pluck her.
She knew that as long as she stayed by his side, that day would come eventually.
But she didn't expect it to happen so quickly.
Can she say no?
What qualifications does she have?
She used his influence to pull her family out of the mire, and also to pull Wu Xubai out of the mire.
In exchange, she became his concubine.
It is only natural.
But she had already paved half the way to escape; how could she be content with that?
She cried, tears streaming down her face.
He noticed it.
He got up and let her go, helped her sit up, and gently wiped away her tears with a handkerchief.
I asked her, "Sweetie, do you not like today?"
*
From then on, in private, he would always gaze at her with tender eyes, calling her affectionately, "Sweetie, come here."
*
He was reminding her, reminding her of her original identity.
*
She suppressed her fear and panic, lifted her skirt, and crawled towards him on her knees, step by step.
The fact that he was able to find this place means he knows everything.
She surrendered; she apologized to him.
His gaze fell on her, and he watched as she humbly moved toward him.
In the past, she never had to kneel before him; she didn't even have to follow the rules.
She got angry and ignored him, but he accepted it with a smile.
He would coax her and indulge her.
He showered her with enviable favoritism.
Now, he is unmoved by her pitiful, cautious demeanor.
She stopped in front of him.
His gentle voice rang out: "Good boy, take off your clothes and let me see the marks he left behind."
Li Qu's face turned ashen.
She raised her hand tremblingly, slowly unbuckled her belt, and then peeled off her clothes one by one.
In the end, only her undergarments remained, and she was too ashamed to touch them.
He took the rattle drum, turned it around, pinched the drumhead, and gently lifted her chin with his hand. He then traced his way down her slender neck, past her collarbone, and inserted his hand into the center of her curvaceous peaks.
Her collar was stretched open, revealing her collarbone and the soft marks on her skin, an ambiguous and alluring sight.
His tone remained unchanged: "How do you please him? Come up here and please this young master."
"Now that I'm satisfied, I'll consider sparing my disobedient little darling."
He must have been very angry.
He had never referred to himself as the Crown Prince in front of her before.
"Your Highness," she prostrated herself, "A-Qu never expected to be trapped on the river island, Your Highness, please spare my life."
"Goodness, it's been half a year, why are you acting so distant? Get up and talk." He patted the seat next to him. "Sit."
How could Li Qu dare to get up?
She was terrified and couldn't help but tremble: "Your Highness, Aqu knows she was wrong."
"What? You can sit next to him, but I can't sit next to you?"
She looked up at him, her small face filled with grievance and pleading: "He forced himself on Aqu. Aqu was forced. Your Highness, please spare Aqu."
He looked directly at her and said, "Come on up."
It is an order.
He never gave her any orders.
He doted on her and tolerated her little temper tantrums.
She got up and cautiously sat down, placing half of her buttocks on the couch.
As soon as he sat down, his hand reached out.
She was tense all over and dared not move.
He used his index and middle fingers to take the rattle from her soft, jade-like body.
When two fingers brushed against her skin, they felt icy cold, and she stiffened even more.
He patted her chest with the drumhead he had taken out.
Did he praise me for raising you so well?
She dared not speak.
What does he like most about you?
She dared not breathe.
"Goodness, you're dirty."
He casually sentenced her to death.
She slid off the couch, knelt down, looked up at him, tears welling in her eyes: "If it weren't for the Crown Princess's relentless pressure, how could A-Qu have fled south?"
"Your Highness doesn't want to hear Aqu say anything bad about the Crown Princess. Aqu... what can Aqu do?"
"Aqu just wants to live."
"Your Highness, please spare Aqu out of consideration for our long-standing relationship."
He looked down at her, his gentle face expressionless: "The Lin family forcing you is one thing, what's the second?"
Li Qu dared not speak.
When she left him the letter, she was actually filled with pride.
I said I didn't want to be a concubine, so I won't! So what if you're Prince Xiao Cong of Yan? I still ran away.
She bit her lip.
"I do not wish to become someone's concubine," he said on her behalf.
Xiao Cong leaned over, raised his hand, and pinched her chin: "Are you feeling wronged being my concubine?"
She shook her head.
"Good boy, you've tricked me so much, let me taste your sweetness, okay?"
He seemed to be asking a question, but he didn't give her a chance to refuse.
She pulled him up, and he knelt on the couch with one leg and on top of her with the other.
He leaned in and kissed her, just like before.
He kissed her gently, and when he got the sweetness he wanted, he let go of her.
He looked at the person in his arms: "Do you remember what I said?"
His cool, jade-like fingertips gently brushed against her waist through the fabric.
"It's fairer to others to do things secretly than to do them openly and legitimately."
"Today, I feel a little sorry for Master Zhou."
He shed his aloofness and refinement, making no attempt to conceal his masculine nature.
"My dear, come back to Yan with me, okay?"
"Your Highness, does Your Highness know that you have gone to Hezhou?"
"Of course we should let Uncle Zhou do his best to be a good host, right, Auntie?"
She dared not answer.
"Do you need my help?"
If she understood him seven-tenths, then he understood her ten-tenths.
"Help my little one escape from the river island."
"Yes." She answered without hesitation.
"Hmm, after you obediently escape from Hezhou, where do you plan to go?"
“Aqu will return to Yan with His Highness.”
His tone softened slightly: "I just arrived in Hezhou today and haven't had a chance to greet you yet, Uncle. I apologize for that."
"Come again at this time tomorrow, okay?"
It may seem like a question, but it brooks no refusal.
His gentleness was laced with a sharp edge.
"good."
She thought he would let her go, but he suddenly reached under her clothes, his fingertips sliding up her waist and down her back, gently untying her bra strap.
"My dear, give me some clothes that fit my body like this to ease my longing, okay?"
Before she could say yes, he had already taken out his bra from under her clothes.
In an instant, the limp rabbit, unable to support itself, bounced out in an even deeper arc.
His gaze fell upon her without any attempt to hide it. He pulled open the fabric on her shoulder and bit her hard.
She cried out in pain.
He tasted the blood, relented, and straightened her clothes.
"Sweetie, don't let him touch you again, okay?"
"good."
"Good girl."
He seemed to have forgiven her.
"I'm going first, dear, no need to see me off."
He looked at her after he finished speaking.
She remembered the kiss he would ask for every time they parted.
She stepped forward and planted a kiss on his cheek: "Your Highness, please take care."
"Hmm." He took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and gently wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.
"Don't be afraid, sweetie."
*
How could she not be afraid?
After Xiao Cong left, Li Qu collapsed completely onto the couch.
There was no outburst of anger, and that was it.
Li's mother hurriedly carried her son into the house, placed him on the couch, and picked up the clothes from the floor for Li Qu.
"What to do, what to do!"
"We haven't even escaped Hezhou yet, and the Crown Prince has come looking for us again!"
"Didn't you say that the Crown Prince wouldn't dare to go to the Southern Lands alone?"
Li Qu looked at his mother and said, "This is not Zhuzhou. He and the Zhou family are not at the point of fighting each other."
"Where's the medicine?"
"It can't be that fast, and it's all done secretly. We'll have to wait at least three more days."
For some reason, Li Qu felt a chill run down her spine.
Charcoal was clearly burning inside the house.
She quickly got dressed.
"When did he arrive?"
"Your Highness, he just arrived not long ago."
Li's mother was terrified.
He asked me if I was happy.
"I... I said you're not happy."
"They said that back then, Old Madam Zhou used us to threaten you into becoming Master Zhou's concubine."
"It was also mentioned that you pretended to agree to the old lady's request and managed things in the Zhou family for a month or so as the third master's concubine."
"Then, then, he found an opportunity to go out of the manor and stop the envoy's carriage, accusing Old Madam Zhou of abducting a woman."
"And who would have thought that this so-called commander-in-chief was none other than Master Zhou! You have offended the entire Zhou family because of this."
"This led to Master Zhou using force against you, forcibly keeping you in his mansion, and so on."
"I was terrified!"
“He killed your cousin’s entire family, not even sparing the children. I’m afraid he’ll kill me and your brother.”
"He just kept talking, rambling on and on, saying whatever came to mind, and didn't dare to stop."
"Actually, I don't even remember what I said."
"what to do?"
"Aqu, you must think of a foolproof plan."
Li's mother cried, completely losing her composure.
"He... he can come to Qin Garden without a sound, he... he can take your mother's and your brother's lives without a sound!"
"You will come back to the manor with me."
Even after Li Qu finished dressing, she still couldn't help trembling.
Zhou Jin is safer than Xiao Cong now.
"Okay, okay."
Li's mother hastily prepared two sets of clothes, picked up the child, and was about to leave when she opened the door. Li Qu then remembered, "Where's Han'er?"
Li's mother had completely forgotten about this daughter: "She went back to take a nap."
Li Qu went to Li Han's room again.
Li Han has disappeared. She found a note on Li Han's bed.
'Sweetie, don't forget your appointment tomorrow.'
After a dizzying moment, Li Qu collapsed onto Li Han's bed.
Someone please save her!
*
In the end, Li's mother stayed at Qinyuan.
Otherwise, she would have no reason to come to Qinyuan for the appointment.
It doesn't make sense that he only brought Li's mother back to the mansion and didn't see Li Han.
Fortunately, she came up with a way to delay having sex.
She stumbled out of Qinyuan Garden, causing Cuiguo to frown: "What's wrong, Madam?"
"I just think childbirth is too scary."
"After giving birth, you still have to endure the pain of breast engorgement."
"My mother was in so much pain that she bit my shoulder a few times, until it bled."
"Ah!" Cui Guo exclaimed in surprise.
"It's alright, the wound has been treated."
"If I had known, I would have gone in and let Madam Li bite me."
"Did you see anyone while you were guarding the gate?"
"Yes, the maids who clean Qinyuan, the servants who walk around, and the old women bring me pastries and ask what Madam likes to eat. They will make them and send them over next time Madam comes."
Li Qu then summoned Huai Xia.
Are you cold?
Huai Xia replied nonchalantly, "I'm not cold, thank you for your concern, Madam."
Are there any bad guys lurking around Qinyuan?
"Don't worry, Madam, the kind of 'arrester' who dares to run rampant in Hezhou hasn't even been born yet,"
"What about the other three? Did they protect the area well?"
"Don't worry, Madam. We wouldn't dare to be careless when you go out. Two of the three of them did spot a suspicious figure, but after tracking them, they found nothing unusual."
Li Qu's heart grew colder with each word she heard.
Xiao Cong was able to come and go freely in Qin Garden and abduct Li Han quietly; he must have brought people with him.
She was so flustered that she almost fell when she stepped off the carriage.
Upon arriving at Fanghua Garden, Li Qu finally managed to calm herself down.
Upon entering Fanghua Garden, a faint smile appeared on her face.
Zhou Jin relayed a message saying that he had a gathering that evening and couldn't take her out, and he gave her an apology gift: a pair of Mohele roly-poly toys that looked very much like him and her.
Li Qu's smile truly reached her eyebrows as she gave Huai Qiu, who had delivered the gifts, a tip: "I really like your master's apology."
"If he comes back late, I ask him not to disturb my sleep."
Huaiqiu happily agreed: "Yes, Madam, I will certainly convey your words."
"Go."
After Huaiqiu left, she placed the Mohele on the dressing table and suddenly felt that she could live another day.
She hoped Zhou Jin would have another engagement tomorrow night.
Forced into the situation, Master Zhou looked dejected. He had made plans to surprise Xiao Aqu for two nights, but neither of them came to fruition.
So annoying.
A love rival comes knocking.
Even more annoying.
His expression remained indifferent as he looked at the person opposite him: "Young Master Yan, how have you been?"
Xiao Cong showed no trace of murderous intent at being robbed of his woman; his moon-colored brocade robe, embroidered with gold and silver threads, accentuated his otherworldly air.
Every gesture is elegant, dignified, gentle, and polite.
Nine out of ten of the actresses present were casting flirtatious glances at him.
Compared to Zhou Jin's stern demeanor, this gentle-looking noble prince clearly appeared more benevolent.
"Thanks to my uncle, I still have to travel around during the New Year."
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