They rode at breakneck speed, dismounted and went up to the embankment. The guards followed for as long as Hongli walked. At first, Liu Qianqian could grit her teeth and endure it, but later she couldn't walk anymore and started to shed tears again.
At first, the guard felt sorry for her and had some thoughts about her, but seeing that she had been hanging around his brother these past two days, he understood what was going on.
Since others looked down on him, he didn't need to bother with them. So Liu Qianqian was truly left unattended. She cried all the way, and by the time Hongli finished inspecting the dike and returned to his horse, she was barely breathing and looked like she was on the verge of death.
Hongli: ...
What else can we do? We can't just treat human life like that.
They could only find a doctor to treat her. Just as Hongli was about to abandon her after she recovered, Liu Qianqian, panting heavily, chased after him again, and almost had her leg trampled by a guard's horse.
Hongli: ...
His seventeenth uncle only mentioned that he would encounter romantic entanglements, but he didn't say that these entanglements would be so entangled!
He really had no choice. He had originally planned to return before his wife gave birth, but if he delayed for another two days, things would be uncertain.
Hongli stopped his horse and gestured for Liu Qianqian to come aside and talk.
He cut to the chase and asked directly, "What do you want?"
"I... I'm not good at all..." Liu Qianqian looked up at him pitifully, "I just want to stay by your side and serve you..."
“I have enough servants at home, I don’t need you to serve me.” Hongli really showed a lot of patience.
Liu Qianqian twisted her fingers together: "Then, then young master, just treat me like a kitten or puppy, and leave me wherever you like..."
“…If I like, I can keep real cats and dogs.” Hongli looked at her with some disdain. Cats and dogs have such nice fur to touch, how could she compare to them?
Liu Qianqian was at her wit's end, so she decided to go all out: "Young master, am I not pretty?"
Hongli frowned as he looked at her.
"This servant is willing to serve you, young master, willing... to offer myself in marriage..." Liu Qianqian looked at Hongli with affection in her eyes, "Young master..."
“I already have a wife and children,” Hongli refused directly. “I also have a lot of concubines, which is more than enough.”
“I’m different from them!” Liu Qianqian quickly said, “Aren’t they all dull, ignorant, and clueless, with no charm whatsoever?”
Hongli looked at her as if she were a fool.
Liu Qianqian continued, "But I can play the piano, tell you jokes, and chat with you. I can be your confidante, and you can tell me anything that's on your mind."
Hongli: ...
Thank you, but no need.
“Young Master must be living a very restricted life,” Liu Qianqian said, looking at him with a face full of heartache. “With so many wives and concubines, they must not be the ones you truly wanted to marry.”
Hongli: ?
He was the one who brought the binoculars back himself!
“I am different from them.” Liu Qianqian looked up with a smile. “I will understand you, accompany you, and be your confidante.”
Hongli: ...
After hesitating for a long time, Hongli asked, "On what grounds?"
His wife, Lady Fucha, was the legitimate daughter of an official. She was elegant and dignified, with a beautiful and refined appearance. She was adept at managing household affairs and had no problem bearing, raising, and educating children.
Lady Gao, who had just been promoted to the rank of concubine, was charming and lovely, yet she knew how to read his mind. She could humble herself to serve him, but she could also act coquettishly and complain. Most importantly, she was also beautiful.
There are also women like Jin, Su, and Fucha, who gave birth to the eldest son of a concubine, each with their own unique charm, and each more presentable than the woman in front of him. So what gives her the right to spout such nonsense in front of him?
That's such a waste of time, it's outrageous!
Hongli didn't want to listen to her nonsense, so he mounted his horse and was about to leave. Liu Qianqian quickly followed and shouted loudly, "My thoughts are different from theirs! All people are born equal, men and women are the same!"
Hongli: ?
Liu Qianqian continued, "And love! Even if you have a harem of wives and concubines, you certainly don't understand what love is! Love is the stirring of the heart, it's being together, it's being one person for life, my lord!"
Hongli: ? ? ?
Liu Qianqian was still shouting, "They don't understand you, they don't love you! They just respect you!"
Hongli couldn't help but ask, "Then what about you?"
You've only met him once, and you're already in love?
She didn't even know who he was, it's completely baffling!
"I am naturally different from them!" Liu Qianqian raised her chin, inexplicably proud. "I know a lot of things, and I can accompany you in reciting poems. You must take me back!"
Hongli: ? ? ? ?
Goodbye!
There's something wrong with his brain, isn't there?
Hongli stopped caring about her. He had done all he could, and that was the end of his journey to see the Buddha off. It was time to say goodbye.
He will never be a good person again.
Liu Qianqian was left far behind. She was in disbelief, shocked and angry, but she was still trying to recite the poems. She even almost told them what would happen in the future to gain their trust. But the group had already ridden away and left her with only a cloud of dust and a group of backs that never looked back.
After two days of hurried travel, Hongli finally arrived at his next destination. He continued his journey while inspecting the various dikes. If there were no problems, everything was fine, but if problems arose, he would have to seek help from the local prefect to make corrections.
Before long, when Hongli returned to the capital, the third month of spring had passed, and the eldest son born to him by Lady Fucha was about to turn one month old.
"You're finally back! You must be exhausted from the journey. You're tanned and thinner." Qian Shengyan looked at her eldest son with concern. "Was the trip smooth?"
"Everything is fine," Hongli said with a smile, then frowned again, "It's just that we encountered a madman... never mind, let's not talk about it."
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