Chapter 85 Being Deceived
The sound of the river lapping against the bank, splash, splash.
Finally, Zhou Jin restrained his emotions and spoke first, pretending to be calm: "Madam, I've come to take you home."
Li Qu gradually regained her five senses, and her mind slowly calmed down.
Under the moonlight, the half-damp hair that had been clinging to my face was dried by the wind, and I playfully scratched my face until it itched.
She raised her hand and touched it, amused by the title 'Madam'.
Now that things have come to this, there's no need to put on an act anymore.
She was the first to state her position: "Who is your wife?"
Who would willingly become the wife of a man who once forced himself on them?
"Zhou Jin, don't you find this ridiculous?"
"Back then, when you grabbed my chin and threatened to torture my entire family to death!"
"When you ignored my pleas, bound my hands, and forced me to submit to your favor!"
"When you had Aunt Li whip me with the precepts, forcing me to learn the ways of a concubine!"
"Have you ever imagined that one day you would call the woman you humiliated and forced 'Madam'?"
Zhou Jin knew he couldn't get over this hurdle; his little Aqu would never come back.
It's not shameful to bow down to your woman.
He looked at her earnestly: "It was my mistake to force you without your permission back then."
He said sincerely, "Aqu, I apologize for what happened before."
His attitude was very good, which gradually calmed Li Qu's slightly agitated heart, which had been stirred by his previous words.
She tugged at her dress.
After being exposed to the wind for a long time, the dress is half dry.
“I lied to Master Zhou, and I apologize to you.”
Her tone was distant and calm: "Master Zhou came personally, what else could he be confused about?"
"There is no doubt about it; it is clearly written in your letter."
"Oh, so what do you intend to do?"
"Aqu, come home with me."
silence.
Besides the sound of the wind, the only other sound was the rushing of water.
Li Qu looked at him for a long while before speaking: "How could Master Zhou be so kind as to show leniency?"
He unconsciously clenched his index finger with his thumb hidden in his sleeve, his inner self far from the rational and calm demeanor he appeared to be.
He said, "Let's go back to the ship and change into clean clothes. We also need to dry our hair; it's too windy here."
"They're almost dry, thank you for your concern."
She looked at him as if he were a familiar stranger.
"How could Master Zhou possibly be so lenient?"
His fingertips, hidden in his sleeve, pinched so hard they hurt a little: "Come home with me."
In the end, she was the first to lose her composure.
“Home?” She laughed sarcastically. “That’s not it.”
He insisted, "That's our home."
Her voice grew louder: "That's a cage, a nightmare, a painful past, a place of enduring hardship and biding my time, a place I never want to set foot in again!"
She looked at him and said, "Master Zhou, considering how much I've pleased you with my deception, wouldn't it be better if we parted ways amicably?"
"You continue to be high and mighty, doing whatever you want."
"I returned to the crowd in an ordinary way."
"A-Qu!"
"Don't call my name!" She took a step back. "Please, find someone else to torment!"
"Don't try to fleece every sheep you find!"
Her arms were trembling with emotion.
Bending down to pick up the package from the ground, she said as she backed away, "I wrote it very clearly in my letter!"
"It was all a last resort to protect my family and find an opportunity to escape."
I never loved you.
I hate you.
"Yes, from your perspective, I am a daring liar who dared to deceive you, Master Zhou. I deserve to die."
What are you going to do?
"I'm going to take one life."
"If you don't kill me, I'm leaving."
Her words were like knives, each sentence wounding him.
He tried hard to control his emotions, his fingers, which were clenched together in his sleeve, loosened and tightened repeatedly.
He was clearly stung by her words; his chest heaved noticeably, yet he remained silent.
"Then I'm leaving."
She turned and walked away, her steps quickening until she started running.
There's no escaping it.
Zhou Jin took a few steps forward, put his arm through her chest, and lifted her feet off the ground.
She flailed her legs in the air, looking comical and funny.
He put her down when she stopped kicking.
The moment her feet touched the ground, she broke free from his grasp.
She wanted to leave again.
He said, "You can't escape."
She turned around angrily and threw the bundle at him.
The poor bundle slipped and fell to the ground.
She looked up at his face, her eyes both ruthless and bright in the moonlight.
What are you doing!
"Do we still need to use force like we did before?"
"I didn't want to be your concubine back then, and now I don't want anything to do with you!"
“You don’t need to do this for the sake of the child.”
"I kept the baby because I couldn't find an opportunity to terminate the pregnancy."
"Once I settled down in the capital and my physical condition allowed me to have an abortion, I immediately did so."
"If abortion is not suitable, I will return the baby to you, Zhou family."
“If you don’t want this child, I will still do my best to raise him.”
"Is there anything else that hasn't been made clear?"
Zhou Jin looked at her and said, "That's all."
"I'm leaving now." She picked up her bundle and continued on her way.
He stopped her, not letting her leave.
She hit him with her bundle, and the rouge jar inside fell on him, causing a little pain.
He let her vent.
After she stopped, he said, "Go back to the ship and change your clothes first."
"Now you care about me? When you and your mother were threatening and bribing me, did you ever consider my feelings at all?"
Her eyes were wide open, and she didn't blink.
With her head tilted back, tears streamed down her face.
She was outwardly fierce but inwardly weak, making it clear that she had been broken before.
She protested, "I had clearly escaped from Yan, and I was very, very close to Wanxian."
"I was so close to escaping the fate of being someone's concubine!"
"I struggled so hard, all I wanted was to be a human being."
"It was you! You dragged me into this mess!"
"You know how much I hated it back then!"
"I hate myself for not being able to go with the flow and live a normal life!"
"I hate this world, where life and death are decided by a single word from those in power!"
"I hate you even more for being the one who started this!"
"I'm so afraid of you, I hate you so much, yet I still rack my brains to please you."
"Those days and nights were... bitter and astringent for me!"
"Zhou Jin! What will it take for you to let me go?"
His breathing rate noticeably increased, and his emotions gradually began to show, but he was still trying to control himself.
He thought that since he was in the wrong first, what was wrong with letting her say a few harsh words?
His hands trembled slightly from the exertion of his self-control.
He tried to wipe away her tears, but she ruthlessly pushed his hand away.
She wiped away her tears, her eyelids drooping, and her gaze fell on his chest.
"You forced me, I lied to you, we're even."
"Master Zhou, may we be separated by death, never to meet again."
"Never seen each other, dead or alive?" Zhou Jin asked incredulously.
His warmth and light, his radiant smile, pulled him out of the darkness, yet his cold indifference threatened to push him into the abyss.
He finally broke down.
He raised his hand and supported her shoulder.
I wanted to argue with her, but seeing her pathetic and disheveled appearance, I felt sorry for her.
His tone became subservient: "Was it because my revisions weren't good enough?"
"Tell me what's not good enough and I'll keep improving it!"
“Aqu, we have bowed to heaven and earth, and we are husband and wife who will share the same bed in life and the same lungs in death.”
"You want to never see me again, whether in life or death?"
His tone unconsciously became more forceful.
How dare you!
How dare you even think of abandoning me!
"How dare you even think about abortion!"
When the child was mentioned, he thought of her pregnancy and how she had recently had a miscarriage. He closed his eyes to suppress his emotions, and when he opened them again, his tone was calmer.
"Aqu, we've been inseparable day and night, I don't believe you've never had a change of heart!"
Li Qu ruthlessly told him the truth: "Never."
Zhou Jin's hand, gripping her shoulder, trembled, his knuckles bent, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged, yet he was reluctant to exert any force.
"A-Qu!"
"Can't you feel my sincerity at all!"
She remained unmoved: "It's all the result of my careful planning, what's there to feel?"
He swallowed bitterly: "Aqu, I know you're angry."
"I was wrong before."
"What do you want me to do for you to forgive me?"
"you say."
She looked at him calmly and said, "Let's part ways amicably and each find our own happiness."
He gritted his teeth, raised his hand and pulled her into his arms, pressing her head down so she couldn't lift it.
Under the moonlight, his face was gloomy, he was on the verge of going crazy but trying hard to control himself.
"Come home with me."
She struggled: "Zhou Jin! Don't you have any self-respect?!"
"I don't care about my self-respect, I just want you."
"Aqu, come home with me."
We're almost having a child.
"Once the child is born and there is joy, the past will fade away more quickly."
Unable to struggle, she opened her mouth and bit him.
But he only managed to bite his mouthful of the robe.
She was furious: "Zhou Jin, how could you use a child as a pawn? You are despicable and shameless!"
He readily admitted, "Yes, I am despicable!"
“Aqu, I have an even more despicable side.”
"You don't want to see it."
"Come home with me obediently, and we'll live a good life together."
She struggled again, but he was as strong as an iron wall, and she couldn't break free at all.
After a while, she calmed down.
She calmed down, and he loosened his grip a little.
"Aqu, I miss you. Come home with me."
Li Qu did not respond for a long time.
Just as Zhou Jin was about to forcibly take her away, she spoke up.
"I have offended the Prince, can you protect me?"
He loosened his grip on her slightly: "One day, it will be either him or me who dies."
She got a chance to catch her breath and looked up at him: "My husband is protecting me. Let's deal with him together."
He was comforted by her softened attitude.
He loosened his grip on her more, looking down at her slightly: "Say it again."
Her eyes were earnest: "My husband, I've been thinking a lot since I came out alone."
"If the prince will give up on his feelings for me from now on, then so be it. I can live a peaceful life without my husband."
“But the Crown Prince is eyeing me covetously; he is not a suitable match.”
"If I had to choose between the Crown Prince and my husband, I would choose my husband."
"But I have a request."
She had a request, and Zhou Jin was pleased: "Go ahead."
"If my husband can make me a true Mrs. Zhou and fill in the missing household registration documents, I will go back and live a good life with you."
"After all, there is no other man in the world as valiant as my husband."
He released her completely and reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.
He couldn't help but grin: "You know that's good."
"The official document regarding the concubine's registered residence..."
"The Prince of Yan has agreed to send you the official document regarding your place of residence."
"really?"
"Yes, it was something we discussed when we first met."
“The Crown Prince’s intention is to go to the capital. My family members are not safe in the capital. We must evacuate them all.”
"I will make the arrangements."
"What about my brother-in-law?"
“Let him resign and go to Hezhou, where there is an official position waiting for him.”
She raised her hand and punched him lightly: "You're smart to know what's good for you."
"I will only forgive you if I punish you by making you wash my feet for a year."
"I'll wash your feet for the rest of my life!"
His gaze swept from her eyebrows to her lips, and he softly called her, "Aqu."
His voice was filled with longing, and she raised her hand to draw circles on his chest: "Aren't you angry with Aqu?"
He leaned forward, seeking comfort.
"Dream on." She pushed him away and picked up the bundle on the ground. "You'll only be forgiven for the sake of the child."
"They're pushing their luck!"
His gaze fell on her lower abdomen, his brows relaxed, and his anticipation grew even stronger.
Although he didn't get to kiss her, he knew that she was carrying his child and must be reluctant to part with him.
I was comforted again.
"Let's go."
She took his hand and walked towards the pier.
He obediently followed behind her, the gloom between his brows dissipating, and his expression returning to normal.
He looked down at her hand holding his, and couldn't help but stroke her fingers.
He felt he was sick, and she was the only cure.
She stopped at the head of the pier.
He stepped forward and offered his hand, saying, "Let me help you."
She grabbed his arm, but instead of getting on the boat, she turned to the side, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed his lips on tiptoe.
The night is beautiful.
It looks like honey coated with frosting.
The air is sweet, my lips are sweet, and my heart is even sweeter.
All emotions were dispelled.
He raised his hand to support her waist and held the back of her head.
His little Aqu did love him in the end.
He wasn't satisfied with just kissing her lips: "A-Qu."
He leaned down and kissed her neck, then nibbled on her earlobe.
He was a little annoyed that she was flirting with him here; this was no good place.
"I miss you."
She seemed unable to resist his enthusiasm and took a step back.
He chased after her, his forehead touching hers, and then kissed her lips.
Just as the thrill of the deep kiss surged into his heart and romantic thoughts arose in his mind, and he even wanted to push her down onto the wheat field behind him to comfort his tormented soul, he was suddenly pushed in the chest.
"Husband, let go."
He obediently let go, and then...
With a splash, he spectacularly fell from the pier into the water.
Li Qu helped him into the water, and then boarded the small boat.
Huaiqiu, who was originally facing away from them on the small boat, turned around when he heard the splash and saw Li Qu waving at him with an oar.
He dared not lay a hand on Li Qu, and jumped into the water on his own.
When Zhou Jin surfaced, Li Qu was already ten meters away in his boat.
We've been tricked.
Li Qu didn't even turn her head: "Zhou Jin, if you dare to chase after me again, this child will be born, and I'll take your surname!"
Huaiqiu emerged from the water, looked at his master, and then at his wife who was struggling to row away.
silence.
Silence is the bridge tonight.
Zhou Jin raised his hand and grabbed the wooden plank of the pier. Using his arm and his feet to step on the wooden stakes of the pier, he climbed up and sat on the pier.
He bent one knee and watched her retreating figure as she walked away without turning her head.
Wet water trickled down from the corners of his eyes and brows.
Her long eyelashes drooped down, concealing the disappointment in her eyes.
Her anger towards him exceeded her love for him.
"The wind was too strong tonight, it blew me into the water."
Huaiqiu had just climbed onto the pier when he was right in front of Zhou Jin.
Upon hearing this, he wiped his face, glanced at the fleeing lady, and then at his master.
He opened his mouth and said, "Yes, this servant was also blown into the water by the wind."
Zhou Jin raised her long eyelashes to look at him.
Huaiqiu immediately understood.
"The lady's boat was also blown away by the wind."
Li Qu, who was rowing vigorously, glanced back at the pier.
Seeing the two drenched chickens sitting there as if stunned, they paddled even faster.
Zhou Jin ignored Huai Qiu and picked up the hem of his clothes to wring out the water.
He muttered to himself, "You already have my surname."
Huaiqiu pretended not to hear: "Master, should we..."
"No need. It's enough to know she's safe."
"Stay close to her, lest she be bothered by the flies of Yan."
He muttered to himself, "She just wanted to go out and clear her head."
"Dr. An said that pregnant women have complex emotions and changeable thoughts."
"She's just having these wild thoughts and acting extremely because she's pregnant."
Huaiqiu: "..."
"If Madam wishes to enter the capital..."
Before he could finish speaking, a flapping sound suddenly rang out in the night sky.
Huaiqiu immediately stood up and blew his whistle.
A newly grown hawk landed on Huaiqiu's shoulder.
Huaiqiu took the letter and handed it to Zhou Jin with both hands.
*
At the same time, Xiao Cong, who was holding a pith flower and staring blankly at the article written by Li Qu, received a bamboo tube with sealing wax from Xiao Zuo.
*
In two places, the two people simultaneously opened the letters.
Same content:
The mountain collapsed.
*
Let's rewind to the Yin hour (3-5 AM) of today.
The city gate of the capital.
The bodies of twelve male descendants of Tang Xian were taken back to the capital by members of the Tang clan.
One of them had only a handful of ashes, a truly tragic situation.
Tang Xian was sincere and loyal throughout his life, but he lost all his integrity in his later years.
The people of the capital lined the streets, denouncing him as a "traitor," "deserving to die," and "disloyal and unjust."
Rotten eggs hit the coffin, and rotten vegetable leaves fell onto the coffin lid.
Tang's servants tried to drive away the people, but were instead surrounded and beaten by them.
Enraged, Tang's servants cursed the "foolish people."
Amidst the chaos, the Imperial Guards cleared the way, retrieved Tang Xian's body, and escorted it all the way to the Golden Palace.
The emperor, who was already unconscious, opened his eyes the moment he heard that Tang Xian's body had entered the capital, and ordered the Northern Imperial Guards to take the coffin into the Golden Palace.
He changed into his dragon robe, donned his crown, and personally went to the Golden Palace to see his virtuous minister one last time.
The coffin lid was opened, and icy air floated out.
A body without life is like a dried-up riverbed.
The emperor looked him over from head to toe, his gaze finally settling on Tang Xian's hands clasped together in front of his abdomen.
He shakily took out a cup from his sleeve and gestured to his trusted eunuch to place the cup in Tang Xian's hand.
The trusted eunuch immediately took action upon hearing the instruction.
The official seemed to have a thought in mind, and his gaze fell on Tang Xian's bright red scholar's robe.
Suddenly, he shouted: "Twenty years have passed since we parted, my dear, wait for me!"
"Let's go to the Zhuangyuanlou again and drink that osmanthus wine!"
The official, devastated by the Zhuzhou incident, handed the farewell wine cup he had shared years before to his loyal minister, who was both his subject and friend, shouted loudly, and then collapsed to the ground.
The mountain collapsed.
Martial law was declared in the capital.
*
Zhou Jin crumpled the letter between his fingers and threw it into the water: "She hasn't been able to reunite with her family in a long time."
"Although the capital is in chaos these days, it doesn't pose much of a threat to her."
"Secretly protecting."
Having tracked them all the way here, there's no reason for them to lose contact again.
A drop of water fell from his beautifully curved chin: "I'm a little hungry."
*
After reading the note, Xiao Cong threw it into the incense burner, then moved the incense burner to the window. Only after the smell of the burning note had dissipated did he take the incense burner back to his room.
He opened the door and called Xiao Zuo over, instructing him, "Prepare a midnight snack."
*
An unexpected incident still occurred, even though it was not expected.
Zhou Jin returned to the warship, washed up, changed his clothes, and had just come out when Huai Qiu, head bowed, reported: "Madam... Madam's ship is moored at the pier two miles away."
"Huai Xia went to follow them herself, but couldn't find any trace of them."
Zhou Jin frowned and pinched the space between his eyebrows.
For some reason, losing track of her this time made me even more uneasy than before.
"Are Xiao Cong's men keeping a close watch?"
"No errors have been reported."
"Who interfered?"
With Huai Xia's abilities, there's no reason why she would lose track of a delicate pregnant woman.
*
At this moment, the delicate pregnant woman was sitting in the carriage, staring at the worried Imperial Censor Zheng.
When Imperial Censor Zheng recognized Li Qu, the worry on his face vanished.
As if grasping at a straw, she grabbed Li Qu's arm: "It's you!"
"It's a good time for him to come home with me and explain things to my wife!"
"I did not indulge in lust or visit prostitutes while I was on the river island!"
"Restore my innocence!"
Li Qu smiled: "Where is your home located...?"
"Xieliu Hutong in western Beijing!"
"Oh, don't worry! I will definitely explain it to your wife."
"Including the child in my womb, it has absolutely nothing to do with you!"
"You have been wronged for upholding your integrity."
Li Qu pondered Zhou Jin's attitude today and decided to go to the capital to ask for a bowl of top-quality abortifacient.
This put an end to Zhou Jin's hopes.
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