Chapter 58 Emptying the Bank
When Zhou Jin got into the carriage, Li Qu had already prepared tea for him.
After he sat down, she smiled and pushed the teacup in front of him: "It's tea with osmanthus."
"As soon as you pick up the cup, the fragrance of osmanthus fills the air."
"The first taste is the slight astringency of the tea, followed by the sweetness of the osmanthus."
"I find the taste to be exquisite."
Zhou Jin pushed the invitation that Uncle Zhou had just given him in front of Li Qu: "Would you like to go admire the plum blossoms?"
Li Qu took the invitation.
"Is the Wei family related to Sister Hu?"
"Mm." He picked up the tea she had brewed, his eyes never leaving her.
He drank it all in one gulp, like Pigsy eating ginseng fruit, unaware of its taste.
She opened the post, looked at its contents, and touched the gold-embossed lettering.
Li, the third concubine of the Zhou family.
This is her identity in the eyes of others.
She smiled and said, "I'll ask Sister Hu later. If she goes, I'll go and see her."
He brought the teacup in front of her to her lips: "Would you like some?"
She smiled at him, leaned forward, and took a sip of the fragrant tea from his cup.
And praised him, saying, "Third Master was exceptionally considerate today."
He still held up his glass: "Want some more?"
She smiled and declined, "No, thank you, Xie Jinlang, for being so considerate."
He seemed encouraged, putting down his teacup to untie the ties of her lotus-shaped dress: "There's still a distance to go, take it off and put it aside for now."
She glanced at his hand as he untied his belt, then at his serious face, unaware that his heart was already boiling with excitement.
After he removed the lotus-shaped robe she was wearing, she casually picked up the pink pearl necklace around her neck and asked him with a smile, "Isn't it pretty?"
His gaze passed through the necklace and landed on the solid object that swayed slightly with the carriage: "Beautiful."
“The concubines that Jinlang sends are all beautiful.”
"You like it very much?" he asked, tidying up the teacups and teapot.
She took it for granted, feeling the cool, textured pearls between her fingers: "What woman doesn't love these?"
"but."
She changed the subject, smiling at him: "Treasures are precious, but life is more valuable. If it's for Jinlang's sake, I'd give up both."
He removed the coffee table that was blocking their way, reached into a hidden compartment, leaned forward, and with his long arm behind her elbow, lifted her delicate buttocks and pulled her into his arms.
She cried out in surprise and hurriedly stretched out her hands to him.
He withdrew his arm from the coffee table, and his large hand returned to support her lower back, giving her a sense of security.
She grabbed his head and pulled it close. He buried his face in the spot where his gaze had just fallen, greedily inhaling her alluring fragrance.
My soul finally found some solace and a little peace.
He placed her delicate buttocks on his thighs, and she naturally sat down with her knees apart, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Before she could speak, he had already kissed her.
She knew he was always lustful, and after restraining himself for several days, he was already unable to hold back any longer. She figured she would have to give in to his desires outside tonight.
She could feel his eagerness to undo her belt, and she was shocked, so she started pushing him away.
He let go of her.
She reminded him, "This is a carriage!"
He looked at her intently and said, "She's very sweet."
Sunlight streamed down from the openwork windows of the carriage roof, bathing her head and making her look like a flower fairy.
He shook out her lotus-shaped garment and spread it on the carriage floor.
His eyes were direct: "A-Qu's lips are sweet, her words are sweet, and she tastes even sweeter."
Looking at his uninhibited manner, she pouted and almost cried: "It's not soundproof."
We're almost in the city center!
He shamelessly declared, "I want to blaspheme the immortals right now!"
He kissed her, not giving her a chance to refuse.
The hustle and bustle of the city grew closer and closer, gradually reaching my ears.
The sounds of talking, shouting, and children laughing as they passed by the carriage filled the air.
Her ears were flushed with shame.
He kissed her ear with delight and nibbled on her earlobe.
She bit her lip, not daring to make a sound.
They were afraid that the people outside the carriage would notice anything unusual.
He knelt up and raised his hand to close the fine gauze window on the top of the carriage, preventing outsiders from peeping from above.
The interior of the car darkened, and the luminous pearl embedded somewhere in the ceiling began to glow faintly.
On the carriage floor, the fairy among flowers, whom one can only look up at, seems to be lying among pink flowers, delicate and dreamlike.
He said, "Little Aqu, you are a thousand times more delicate than pink."
"I like it."
She hurriedly raised her hand to cover his mouth, afraid that his voice would leak out through the gaps in the carriage.
It has a strong sense of theft.
He kissed her palm.
Outside the carriage, people were busy with their tasks.
The vendors, eager to pack up and go home before sunset, called out with smiling faces.
The woman planned to buy groceries and cook before her husband returned home, so that she could have a meal with the children after he came home, all in a quick and efficient manner.
The distinguished guests, amidst the everyday life, some bid farewell to their friends and returned home, while others revelled in the sunset.
Students were debating by the roadside, while children played together.
Some of the shops along the roadside have already replaced their signs with lanterns for nighttime use.
The myriad aspects of human life.
He felt satisfied and happy.
Sweat dripped down, bursting into tiny water droplets.
The journey was filled with rain and clouds.
It was already dark when we arrived at our destination.
Li Qu didn't know how Zhou Jin got off the carriage, or how he managed to carry her off the carriage without batting an eye in front of the coachman.
She was too ashamed to face anyone, so she kept her face buried in his chest the whole way.
He didn't rest during the first half of the night; it seemed Zhou Jin wanted to exhaust all the desires he had suppressed for the past few days in one day.
While she was taking a bath.
The room was filled with a misty atmosphere, and the gauze curtains swayed in the breeze. The lotus pond, adorned with turquoise tiles, was a scene of unparalleled beauty.
Fish and water mingle, and the pond water ripples.
He grew increasingly accustomed to her captivating charm and to living a simple, uninhibited life with her.
*
The following day, strong winds and rain occurred as cold air moved southward.
Li Qu changed out of the pink outfit she wore yesterday and put on a proper dress. She hid behind a pillar and reached out to catch the cold rain falling from the sky.
"How can we go hiking in this weather?" Granny Xu suggested, standing behind Li Qu. "Why don't you go back to sleep for a while?"
"The fine rain turns into mist, enveloping the mountaintops, creating an even more enchanting scene."
Her eyes lit up as she turned to look at Granny Xu: "Put on the lotus-shaped robe that will protect you from the wind and rain, and let's go for a walk around with an umbrella."
Xu Mama was about to persuade Li Qu, fearing she might catch a cold and fall ill, when Cui Guo brought over a lotus leaf-covered robe, a raincoat, a bamboo hat, and wooden clogs.
Granny Xu tapped Cuiguo's head: "If you catch a cold, Third Master will skin you alive!"
Cuiguo stuck out her tongue: "This servant is not afraid, my aunt will protect me."
Dressed in their finest attire, Granny Xu borrowed an old nanny from the manor manager and led Li Qu and her two servants on a stroll.
"When Third Master was born, the old master gave him ten estates and ten gardens, symbolizing perfection."
"This Snow Spring Manor is one of the ten manors."
The old woman smiled broadly and was very warm and welcoming.
She had long heard people praise this concubine for her fairy-like beauty and for being the Third Master's favorite.
Last night, I indeed saw that the Third Master showed him the utmost favor.
Such a hot stove is definitely not to be missed.
Burn it!
Fire!
She was extremely enthusiastic: "Third Master's estate is very popular. Every year on the winter solstice, my aunts and cousins would bring people to the estate to play."
"They haven't left yet. They're having a banquet at Luoxue Residence not far away, watching the rain. Would you like to go and take a look, Aunt?"
Li Qu asked gently, "Besides my aunt and the young ladies, are there any other people?"
"Yes, they are all the masters' close friends and confidantes, who invited each other to soak in the hot springs."
"This is just the beginning; it will be even more lively when it snows."
Li Qu asked, "Only women?"
"Today, only women are staying at Luoxue Residence. Also, Third Master is receiving guests at Qiansong Pavilion, which is under martial law and no one is allowed to approach."
Li Qu smiled and said, "It's not appropriate for me to go to Luoxue Residence with my current status. Let's avoid that place and go somewhere else."
The old nanny thought it made sense; no matter how favored the concubine was, she was still just a concubine. If the other side embarrassed the concubine, she would end up pleasing neither side.
"There is a small garden of winter plum blossoms, which are in full bloom right now. Would you like to take a look, Aunt?"
Is it close to Snowfall Residence?
"To get here from Luoxue Residence, you have to go through at least two gardens, it's not close."
"Then let's go take a look."
So the four of them headed towards the winter plum garden.
We walked and laughed along the way, and before we knew it, we had arrived.
Before even entering the garden, Li Qu could smell the fresh and elegant fragrance of the winter plum blossoms.
Upon entering the park, she couldn't resist lifting the veil.
The view is spectacular, with yellow petals dancing and playing in the rain as a gust of wind blows.
"The weather is still chilly, and all other flowers have withered, except for the winter plum blossoms."
She stepped forward, broke off a branch, and smiled as she asked Granny Xu to help her insert it into her hair bun, which was peeking out from under her veil.
Granny Xu praised her, saying, "This lady is more beautiful than any flower."
"I should get a set of plum blossom-shaped jewelry made for my aunt later."
Cui Guo chimed in, "Pair it with a dress of the same color, just like the one Aunt wore yesterday. It would complement each other perfectly and make you look absolutely stunning."
Li Qu smiled and reminded her, "Don't make spring clothes, yellow attracts bugs."
The old nanny was immediately captivated by Li Qu's beauty upon first seeing her.
She didn't catch up until the three of them had walked five steps inside.
Finally, Li Qu rested in a pavilion.
Xu Mama happened to need to change her clothes, so the old nanny led her there and told Li Qu and her servant not to wander around, lest they get lost in unfamiliar surroundings.
"Okay," Li Qu replied with a smile.
After watching the two walk away, Li Qu stood in the pavilion for a while, then broke off a sprig of winter plum blossom and inserted it into her hair.
Cui Guo smiled purely with joy: "Auntie, if we press some of these flowers onto the mold when steaming the cakes, will the cakes smell like winter plum blossoms?"
"I don't know, how about we pick a bagful and take it back to try?"
"I'll pick them for you. Please stay in the pavilion to avoid catching a cold."
They were very concerned about Li Qu's health.
Li Qu took off her lotus-leaf robe and put it on her: "Be careful not to catch a cold. I'll be waiting for you in the pavilion."
Cui Guo smiled brightly: "This servant understands, thank you for your thoughtfulness, Auntie."
"Go."
The master and servant were unaware that a young lady of noble birth had entered the garden.
By the time the two noticed a large crowd approaching, it was too late to leave with the winter plum blossoms in their arms.
"Who are you! Don't you know that outsiders have never been allowed to enter this place!"
The one who spoke was a young girl wearing a fox fur-trimmed lotus-leaf robe.
Her makeup was delicate and rosy, and the crimson jeweled headdress accentuated her unparalleled nobility.
Surrounded by old women holding umbrellas and maids clearing the way, the procession was impressive.
Her gaze swept over Li Qu's hair bun before settling on the winter plum blossom in Cui Guo's bun, and her face gradually turned frosty.
Seeing how much she regarded the garden as her master, Li Qu guessed that she must be Zhou's cousin, and politely curtsied.
"I have no intention of disturbing you, so I will take my leave now."
Li Qu was young and dressed plainly.
After entering the pavilion, he removed his veil.
Her naturally beautiful face immediately aroused the suspicion of her peers.
Chu Yingyang originally thought she had encountered a rare, unmarried illegitimate daughter, but she never expected that she was actually a concubine.
She stood there, dignified and aloof.
With just a glance, a stern old woman immediately approached Li Qu and her servants aggressively.
Cui Guo hurriedly stepped forward and shielded Li Qu behind her.
Li Qu's eyes lit up, and she covered the smile that was about to appear on her lips. She stepped forward, grabbed Cui Guo's wrist, and rushed out of the pavilion.
"They outnumber us, we can't win! Of the thirty-six stratagems, running away is the best!"
With the large crowd behind her, she pulled Cuiguo along and smiled faintly.
Finally, I have an excuse to get caught in the rain.
happy.
The master and servant thus disappeared into the plum grove amidst the astonished gazes of Chu Yingyang and the others.
It took Chu Yingyang a long time to react: "Whose concubine is this? How dare she be so rude!"
Someone responded, "I wonder, could it have been brought by Madam Chu?"
"How could my mother lower herself to associate with a concubine?!" Chu Yingyang's tone was unpleasant.
Someone interjected, "They must have been secretly followed by someone!"
Chu Yingyang frowned and casually pointed to the maids and servants beside her: "You two, go after them!"
"You two, go back and tell my mother."
"Just say that a lowly concubine is restless and has gone out to philander, disgracing the family and dishonoring our status. Tell my mother to send someone to find her!"
She specifically instructed: "Once you find her, immediately tear off the winter plum blossoms from the heads of her and that lowly maid beside her!"
After everyone around her had taken their orders and gone to carry them out, Chu Yingyang had completely lost her interest in admiring the plum blossoms: "Every year, I was the one who picked the first flower! She's certainly bold!"
"Insubordination is punishable by death if caught!"
The noble ladies around immediately echoed, "That's right, that's right. She's obviously a woman who uses her looks to please men. She's some kind of filthy thing that came from who knows where. How dare she defile Sister Yingyang's plum blossoms?"
Chu Yingyang was even angrier when she heard this. She raised her hand, ripped off the winter plum blossom ornament from her head, and threw it to the ground in disgust.
"You can give me the gifts, I'm not feeling well, I'll head back now."
*
A cold wind howled, and a light rain drizzled down in bursts.
Li Qu, using the excuse of pursuers behind them, took off the lotus-shaped robe he had put on again and covered Cui Guo's head with it: "Good Cui Guo, you've been raising an army for a thousand days to use it for one."
"There are pursuers behind us. Whether I survive today, standing upright or lying down, depends entirely on whether you can distract them."
"Don't worry, Aunt, I will definitely draw away the pursuers!" Cuiguo was loyal and unsuspecting, and she didn't look back while wearing her lotus-leaf robe.
Upon seeing this, Li Qu ran in the opposite direction.
At this moment, amidst the wind and rain, her heart was as calm as still water, her thoughts were empty, and she felt extremely refreshed.
The cold wind and the chill of the rain gave her a moment to catch her breath.
She got sick, just as she had hoped.
She thought that Zhou Jin would at least give her half a month off.
*
When Zhou Jin found Li Qu, she was squatting in an unknown corner, soaking wet and shivering.
He wrapped her in his large cloak, picked her up, and gently called her name: "A-Qu?"
She moved closer to him, feeling cold, wanting to draw warmth from him.
The winter plum blossoms that were pinned in her hair had all fallen, leaving only a stubborn bud.
"My love, I'm cold!"
He turned around, carrying the person in his arms, his face colder than the weather: "Summon the doctor!"
*
Li Qu and Zhou Jin stayed at the Moonlit Pavilion.
Zhou Jin lifted Li Qu, who had warmed up, from the hot spring pool, dressed her, tidied her up, and carried her back to her bedroom.
After the doctor examined her pulse and prescribed medicine, Hongguo personally arranged the related matters.
The old nanny and the usually composed Xu nanny were kneeling on the corridor.
Cui Guo knelt trembling inside the house, her half-wet clothes still wet.
However, the winter plum blossoms on her hair bun still bloomed and stood tall.
Her voice trembled, choked with sobs: "My aunt just said, 'I didn't mean to bother you, I'll take my leave now,' and then the maidservant next to the young lady walked over here menacingly."
"I, I stood in front of my aunt, but she suddenly grabbed my wrist and ran away."
"Say that the other side has too many people and you can't beat them. Let's go, let's go."
"After running around for a while, Auntie said again, 'We need to use it for a short time.'"
Cuiguo was so afraid that she could no longer speak coherently.
"Put the lotus leaf over my head, let me draw the pursuers away!"
"I ran a short distance, and then I realized there was no one behind me."
"Then, when I turned back to look for my aunt, I couldn't find her anymore!"
She pounded her forehead on the ground: "This servant has failed to protect her master. This servant is willing to accept punishment!"
"Did you provide the travel supplies for the Li family?"
Upon hearing this, Cui Guo's body suddenly trembled violently as if she were being shaken, her face turning ashen as she awaited death: "Yes."
Zhou Jin recalled the stunned look on Huai Qiu's face when she carried Lü Guo away, and finally changed "dragged away to be sold" to "go down and get a beating".
Cui Guo suddenly closed her eyes, her sweat and tears of joy mingling together: "This servant thanks Third Master for sparing my life!"
As for the two people kneeling on the corridor, they naturally could not escape punishment either.
"Why does Jinlang harm the innocent?"
A faint whisper, like the buzzing of mosquitoes, came from the bed.
Zhou Jin sat down on the edge of the bed, his eyes filled with concern he himself didn't realize: "How are you?"
"Headache, stuffy nose, dry throat, feeling hot all over, and no energy."
Symptoms of wind-cold.
"Is there anything else that's bothering you?"
She shook her head and lifted her heavy eyelids: "Jinlang, please don't implicate the innocent."
"You know my temperament. I am not willing to be bullied. If I don't run away, I will definitely fight with someone."
She seemed to find it amusing, and a smile appeared on her lips.
He frowned: "In this southern land, no one dares to touch you!"
The old lady dared.
She didn't point it out, only saying, "I know you treat me very well, but their clothes are all extraordinary. How could I offend you and cause you trouble?"
He felt a pang of sadness upon hearing this.
The swallowing of her Adam's apple was a sign of heartache for her understanding nature, and also anger at someone who dared to bully her.
"Don't punish them." She hooked her finger around his hand. "Okay?"
He held her hand: "The crime of dereliction of duty cannot go unpunished."
She pulled her hand away, turned her back to him, and got angry.
"In the end, I am of lowly status and have no choice but to avoid you, sir, and cause you trouble. I should ask to return home and dare not stay by your side again, lest I needlessly implicate others."
He was both annoyed and amused: "A-Qu."
"I am but a lowly Li family member, and I dare not be addressed by my name by Third Master."
Zhou Jin: "..."
"Considering it's their first offense, let them off this time."
She turned around again, smiled, and took his hand, her eyelids involuntarily closing.
“Before you arrived, I saw a one-year-old child waving at me.”
"I think, it is true that I like children, but this is not my child."
“My child needs me more, but I cannot go with it, so I wave goodbye to it.”
Zhou Jin frowned.
"I wonder how my eldest sister's second son is doing."
She seemed utterly exhausted; as soon as she finished speaking, even breathing came from her nose.
He clenched the little hand in his hand, then released it, then clenched it again, then released it again.
After a long pause, he gripped it tightly in his hand: "You've cast a spell on me."
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