novelaction Chapter 441 Not good
Chapter 441 Not good
Chapter 441
"No, I have to meet the county magistrate and tell him in person about this matter." Wang Cuihua was firm.
The yamen runner replied with an embarrassed look on his face, "But the master has been gone for a long time. No matter how urgent you are, I can't call him back."
As Wang Cuihua left, she deliberately took out her long-treasured red embroidered handkerchief from the cabinet. Hearing the yamen runner's words, her knuckles turned white as she clutched the handkerchief. She looked at the runner's troubled expression and sighed heavily, "But this... concerns the county magistrate's lifelong affairs. Even if I tell you, you can't make the decision for him."
"Lifelong event?" the yamen runner murmured repeatedly. He really didn't understand what the county magistrate's lifelong event had to do with this woman in front of him, but he still shook his head and said, "If you are really anxious, wait here and talk to the magistrate when he arrives."
"That won't do!" Wang Cuihua stamped her feet anxiously. "Do you have any definite information on when the Master will come?"
The yamen runner shook his head helplessly: "When he left, the master didn't say when he would be back. It might be dusk, or late at night. We really have no way of knowing."
Wang Cuihua became even more anxious upon hearing this, but she also knew that it would be futile to embarrass the yamen runner any further, so she could only helplessly say, "All right, I'll be back soon. When the master returns, tell him that Aunt Wang Cuihua from Xinghua Village is looking for him."
"Row!"
Seeing that she no longer pestered him, the yamen runner secretly breathed a sigh of relief and nodded in agreement, "Don't worry, ma'am. I'll tell you as soon as the master comes back."
How could Wang Cuihua care about him at this moment? With a perfunctory remark, she clutched her red embroidered handkerchief and hurried towards the inn where Luo Shuiyao was staying. She had originally thought that the man should take the initiative in matters of marriage, so she planned to first negotiate the terms of the betrothal gift with the county magistrate, and then go to Luo Shuiyao to express her feelings and gauge her attitude.
In her opinion, the county magistrate is handsome and upright, and Miss Luo is well-educated and will surely understand how rare it is to find such a good man and will not easily refuse him.
But plans can't keep up with changes, the county magistrate was out on official business. In desperation, she had to change her mind and decided to go to the inn to calm Luo Shuiyao down, delaying for some time, and then find an opportunity to discuss the matter in detail with the county magistrate.
…………
Not to mention how devastated Wang Cuihua was when she rushed to the inn and learned that Luo Shuiyao and her group had already left.
Just talking about the Third Prince and Lu Zhaozhao, the situation is quite different.
Yesterday's toasting festival in Baihua County was incredibly lively. The streets were bustling with people, the aroma of wine filled the air, and shouts and laughter echoed endlessly. But the Third Prince, conscious of his noble status, wouldn't he mingle like the common people? Far from enjoying the excitement, he felt irritated.
Lu Zhaozhao was equally dismissive, looking down on such "vulgar" bustle. So the two of them found a secluded inn and rested early.
After having breakfast with Lu Zhaozhao, Lu Zhaozhao went to her room to wash up. After the third prince separated from her, he turned and went into another room.
He sat at the desk, his eyes sternly fixed on the man standing beside him. The man, dressed in ordinary clothes, had a plain, unremarkable appearance. In a crowd, he was the kind of person you'd forget in a blink of an eye, with no tangible features to be found.
The Third Prince turned the teacup in his hand and said in a cold tone, "Are you saying that the vicious woman has left the city?"
"Yes, he should be outside the city now." The man seemed not to feel the cold and stern aura emanating from the Third Prince. He bowed and replied, with no fluctuation in his lowered eyes.
"boom!"
With a crisp sound, the Third Prince slammed the teacup in his hand onto the table, instantly shattering it in two. "Didn't I tell you that I don't want to see that woman open her eyes alive?" The Third Prince's eyes were sinister, and he exuded a chilling aura.
The man who had just replied lowered his head even lower upon hearing this, and kept apologizing, "Yes, Your Highness, please calm down. It's our fault for not doing our job well. But that woman is surrounded by many experts, and now I'm the only one who remains by your side. I'm really worried. If I leave too, and you run into danger, there will be no one to protect you, and I'm afraid I won't be able to split my attention."
Yesterday, the Third Prince had solemnly promised to make that woman pay for her crimes. She had humiliated Zhao Zhao and truly deserved death. But today, he received news that the woman was still alive and well, and he was furious.
But his anger wasn't about the unfinished business, but rather that he was now in a desperate situation, and even a mere warrior dared to disobey him. However, upon hearing the warrior's explanation, he suppressed his fury, subdued the fierceness in his eyes, and tried to sound more gentle. "Since you are so eager to protect your master, I will forgive you this time. If it happens again, don't blame me for being ruthless."
The thought shifted, but he continued to speak in this way. It wasn't that he was being magnanimous. It was just that, as the assassin had said, he had too few people around him to use. When he regrouped and returned to Kyoto, none of these assassins would survive.
The assassin was extremely sensitive to murderous intent, and instantly knew that the Third Prince had murdered him. Even so, he kowtowed in gratitude, as his leader had instructed him not to show any signs of abnormality during this period.
Besides, once the antidote is found, what does it have to do with them whether the Third Prince is dead or alive?
The Third Prince didn't care about his thoughts. In his mind, death warriors were supposed to be absolutely loyal. He had never considered that these death warriors weren't mindless puppets, but living, breathing people. As human beings, they had their own selfish desires and motives, so how could they simply allow themselves to be manipulated at will?
"okay."
The Third Prince waved his hand impatiently. "Now that they've left the city, there's no point in saying more. We share the same purpose. We'll depart today and see you next time. No matter the reason, I will kill her. Such a cruel person, treating Zhao Zhao like this, would be too easy for her to be spared. A woman like this deserves to be ruined and slut-smoked by anyone!"
"Yes, I obey your command." The assassin nodded in agreement and then respectfully left the room. After leaving the room, he lightly supported his arm with his hand, and the submissive expression on his face instantly faded.
He did not intend to disobey the Third Prince. After all, the task assigned by the boss had not been completed yet, and it was still unknown whether their brothers would live or die in the future. It would not be a good thing for them to offend the Third Prince easily.
Yesterday, after receiving the order, he had been eager to complete the mission as quickly as possible. He had thought killing a woman would be easy, but he hadn't expected the woman's guards to be skilled, preventing him from getting close. He was even wounded due to his carelessness. If he hadn't reacted quickly, and the other party hadn't intended to kill him, he would have been more seriously injured. Helplessly, he could only return, feeling resentful.
As for why he told the Third Prince everything, the assassin smiled coldly, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised.
The Third Prince, such a conceited fool who thinks he's clever, would have driven him away and sent other assassins if he'd known he was injured. But the other brothers were all busy with their own missions and couldn't spare the effort. Now that he was guarding the Third Prince, those secretly colluding with the Cheng family would also act in secret. It was precisely because of this that the leader and the other brothers were able to follow the clues and find the antidote as quickly as possible.
Thinking of this, the assassin narrowed his eyes slightly. That woman... Didn't the Third Prince say that he wanted to ruin her reputation and make her a slut? Why did he have to take her life? There were plenty of ways to make her live a life worse than death.
The Third Prince took none of this to heart, completely unaware that the assassins had secretly isolated him from everyone connected to the Cheng family. He simply thought that it was because he was so secretive that those people hadn't come looking for him.
After sending away the assassins, he closed his eyes for a while and then returned to his room.
Lu Zhaozhao was sitting in front of the mirror, looking at her slightly blurry reflection. Beneath her delicate features, her eyes drifted away. She had already revealed the matter to the Third Prince, certain that even if he was now in dire straits, he could easily deal with a woman. As she thought about it, she snorted softly, "Luo Shuiyao, Luo Shuiyao, don't blame Sister Zhao for using me as a tool to kill someone. Blame yourself for being so blind and deliberately offending me."
Thinking of this, she seemed to have seen Luo Shuiyao lying on the ground begging for mercy, and the pride in her eyes became even stronger.
Only when she heard familiar footsteps at the door did she immediately sit up straight, composed herself, and picked up a wooden comb, pretending to comb her hair. Because she and the Third Prince were pretending to be married, and because he was suspicious and untrustworthy, she had no maids to serve her, so she had to do her own makeup. Fortunately, she was dexterous, and the mask the Third Prince had given her fitted her perfectly. Although her appearance now differed from her true self, she was still a rare beauty, possessing a unique charm.
The Third Prince had already considered Lu Zhaozhao his own, never announcing his entrance. The wooden door made a subtle sound, and the moment he stepped inside, his gaze was captured by the slender figure at the dressing table—her slender waist, her long, flowing hair, inexplicably rekindling his unfulfilled desires from yesterday.
Lu Zhaozhao's comb paused, as if startled by someone entering. As she slowly turned, the pearl hairpins at her temples swayed gently. The perfect angle of her glance, the result of countless rehearsals in front of the bronze mirror, moved her eyes, a blend of innocence and charm, a delicate yet subtle shyness, like a dew-covered crabapple on a spring branch, captivating.
"Husband." She opened her red lips slightly, and the ending tone was as gentle as the chirping of an oriole.
The Third Prince's Adam's apple rolled, and the heat he had suppressed yesterday suddenly surged back. He stared at her rosy cheeks and suddenly felt that the inn was so stuffy and hot that he couldn't breathe. Even the cuffs of his sleeves made his wrists burn.
"Husband, what's wrong with you?" Lu Zhaozhao blinked her worried almond eyes, her face full of concern, as if she didn't notice anything unusual.
She moved lightly, her delicate fragrance lingering on her as she approached. She clutched a handkerchief embroidered with twin lotus flowers, and gently raised her hand to touch the Third Prince's forehead. However, before her fingertips could touch, a sudden, powerful force erupted from her waist. She cried out in surprise, and her body was suddenly pulled into a scorching embrace.
The world was spinning, and her back hit the dressing table hard. The bronze mirror and rouge box jingled. She was already pinned down on the carved table by the Third Prince.
"Young Master, what's wrong with you? Don't scare me." Lu Zhaozhao spoke with tears in her voice, her delicate body trembling slightly in the Third Prince's arms. She completely ignored the Third Prince's repeated instructions to address him as "husband" so as not to arouse suspicion, and blurted out the words in panic.
The Third Prince's eyes narrowed instantly, a dangerous glint surging in them. He pinched her chin with his bony fingers, forcing her to look him in the eye. "You're so naughty. You forgot what your husband said so quickly?"