lcionline Chapter 429: Toast
Chapter 429: Toast
Chapter 429
The Third Prince had grown up surrounded by countless dotes, his mother aristocratic, and surrounded by servants who fawned over him, which had given him a conceited personality. Seeing Lu Zhaozhao feigning composure, his mind raced, and he had almost guessed something from her evasive gaze.
Even with this thought, the Third Prince didn't let go. Instead, he held her tighter, his warm breath brushing against the tips of her reddened ears. "Zhao Zhao, your eyes are much more honest than your mouth. You say we're just strangers, but your eyes tell me you're afraid of her. That's not the right reaction to someone you're just passing by."
He lifted Lu Zhaozhao's chin, forcing her to look him in the eye. Dark currents surged in his dark pupils. "Tell me, who is she? Has she ever hurt you?"
Lu Zhaozhao's whole body stiffened, and the panic in his eyes became even greater, but he closed his eyes as if to give up, and subconsciously wanted to pull back his wrist.
But as soon as she moved, the Third Prince pulled her hard and hugged her into his arms, making her hit his hard chest, and his deep and strong heartbeat came to her ears.
The third prince closed his eyes slightly, smelling the fragrance of her hair. He felt hot in his heart and couldn't help but hug her tighter.
Lu Zhaozhao pressed herself against his chest, the expression in her eyes kept changing, sometimes bright and sometimes dark. Her hands were tightly clutching his collar, and her whole body was trembling slightly, looking very pitiful.
Her pitiful appearance indeed aroused the Third Prince's pity. Although he felt hot in his heart, he forced himself to suppress it a little.
The Third Prince lowered his head and touched his forehead to Lu Zhaozhao's, forcing her to look directly at him. His tone was somewhat seductive: "Speak, tell me, and I will avenge you."
Lu Zhaozhao's cheeks flushed instantly, and the blush spread all the way to the tips of her ears. She subconsciously wanted to turn her face away, but the Third Prince held her tightly in his arms, unable to move at all.
Seeing this, she couldn't help but bite her lower lip, her voice trembling: "Let me go first, and let me tell you slowly."
The Third Prince felt his blood boiling as he looked at her adorable, shy face. However, with so many people coming and going here, he never knew when someone might show up, so he had to suppress his restlessness.
Just when Lu Zhaozhao relaxed her guard a little, the Third Prince leaned over and gently kissed her on the lips. However, the kiss was so quick and frightening that Lu Zhaozhao let out a low cry, her legs went weak, and she almost fell to the ground.
The Third Prince had anticipated this, extending his long arms to embrace her once more. A low laugh vibrated in his chest, making Lu Zhaozhao's ears burn. Embarrassed, she buried her head in his arms, refusing to lift it again no matter what.
The Third Prince lowered his eyes, and stroked her hair with his fingertips again and again, with inexplicable ripples in his heart.
He had never imagined that this unexpected departure from the palace would be a turning point in his fate - if he had remained trapped in the strict rules of the prince's mansion, how could he have met such a clever and wonderful person? Now, with the warm and soft beauty in his arms, he couldn't tell whether this disaster was a blessing or a curse.
Recently, to avoid capture, the two had been forced to call each other husband and wife. To avoid arousing suspicion, they even shared a room. This accidental coexistence wasn't the first or second time. And each time, Lu Zhaozhao's reactions, whether shy or angry, stirred a strange emotion within the Third Prince, bringing him immense joy.
The two of them embraced each other for a long time. After gradually calming down, the Third Prince spoke again: "Tell me what happened. Although I am now in dire straits, I will not tolerate being bullied. You must trust me."
Unconsciously, he used the title "husband". Seeing Lu Zhaozhao's cheeks instantly turn red because of this title, he felt a different kind of satisfaction in his heart and thought that this little bad taste was quite interesting.
However, this time Lu Zhaozhao didn't seem to notice that he called her like that. She shuddered when she heard that and was secretly sad for a long time before she slowly spoke and told him everything.
She said that she and Luo Shuiyao were taken into the Marquis's residence at the same time. Luo Shuiyao's seductive appearance attracted the attention of the two young masters of the Marquis's residence, and even the Marquis had a good impression of her. However, Luo Shuiyao suppressed her and schemed against her in the residence. Not only did she gain many benefits from her, but before leaving, she also stole her jewelry and clothes, and designed to have her kicked out of the residence.
Because her parents had passed away and her uncles and aunts coveted her family property, she did not dare to return to her clan and had to live outside.
The third prince's brow furrowed further as he listened, his knuckles twisted until they turned white, and a chilling murderous intent welled up in his eyes. It turned out that this fragile yet seemingly strong girl in his arms had endured so much pain all by herself.
After Lu Zhaozhao finished speaking, he once again hugged her tightly, resting his chin on the top of her head, and said in a muffled voice: "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
The warm breath brushed past her ears, carrying suppressed anger and heartache.
Lu Zhaozhao groaned as he was strangled. His crisp scent lingered in his nose, and his throat tightened. "You and I have no power or influence. What can I do if I say it..."
The third prince was slightly stunned, then he remembered that he had confided his life story to Lu Zhaozhao - he said that he was the legitimate son of the family, but because his father favored the illegitimate son, he was framed and his mother died tragically. He fled to avoid being hunted down by his illegitimate brother.
No wonder she had kept her mouth shut before. It turned out that her displaced situation had made her mistakenly believe that she had no one to rely on.
Thinking of this, his throat tightened, and he hugged the person in his arms tighter, secretly vowing to protect her in the future.
Thinking of this, he suddenly held her face in his hands, his eyes burning. "Even if I am now in a desperate situation, I—"
The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he suddenly paused, his Adam's apple rolling up and down twice before he swallowed back the self-proclaimed title that was about to come out of his mouth. He then said in a deep voice, "When your husband returns in the future and takes back everything that belongs to me, I will definitely make the Marquis' Mansion and your uncles regret it!"
Lu Zhaozhao seemed to have never noticed the self-proclaimed title he almost blurted out many times.
Hearing this, she looked up at him, tears welling in her eyes, and her emotion was beyond words: "I thought I would be alone in the future, with no one caring about me, but I didn't expect to meet... you."
The last line of her voice was choked with a slight sob, as if all the grievances and relief in her heart were melted into this sentence. Her slender fingers unconsciously grasped his collar, her fingertips slightly white, as if she was afraid that the man in front of her was an illusory bubble that could not be grasped and would dissipate in the wind in the next second.
Her demeanor, as if grasping at a life-saving straw, greatly pleased the already conceited Third Prince.
His chest heaved violently, as if suppressing an emotion that threatened to explode at any moment. The dark tide swirling in his eyes threatened to drown him. But when his fingertips touched her slightly trembling eyelashes, all the sharpness in his heart instantly turned into a softness that condensed into a sigh: "Don't hide anything from me from now on."
.........
Luo Shuiyao didn't know the source of her inexplicable uneasiness. After several fruitless attempts at contemplation, she simply put her doubts aside and took Chun Xing's arm to relax. The two of them wandered through the streets and alleys, unknowingly having walked for quite some time.
At this time, the annual toasting festival in Baihua County is about to begin.
By the third quarter of the evening, dusk had dyed the sky a honey-orange hue, and the streets of Baihua County were filled with the aroma of wine. Ceramic jars filled with wine were neatly placed at every household's door, alongside thumb-sized wine glasses, their round rims still stained with a few grains of unmelted icing sugar. The jars contained no pungent liquor, but rather a clear, amber-colored fruit wine. When scooped up, it emanated a fine golden foam, refreshingly sweet and refreshing, unlike any other alcoholic beverage.
It's said that this area has a long tradition of using fruit wine. Since Baihua County was renamed, skilled winemakers have ingeniously added seasonal nectar to their wine. The unique blend of sweet and sour flavors has been widely praised. Today, during the Toasting Festival, white-haired elders lean on canes, chatting and chatting with wine glasses, and children tiptoeing to sneak a sip, all of them can't put this festive brew down.
In Baihua County, in the city center, near the County Magistrate's Mansion, the streets on both sides were filled with a variety of liquors. The rich, sweet aroma filled the air, making one's mouth water.
Outside the county magistrate's mansion, yamen runners shuttled back and forth, maintaining order in an orderly manner to prevent the crowd from being overcrowded and causing a stampede.
From time to time, the sounds of children playing and laughing could be heard from the crowd, mixed with the laughter of adults, and intertwined with the aroma of wine in the air, creating a very lively scene.
Qin Chuan, the county magistrate, was naturally present. He loved his people like his own children and was deeply beloved by the people of Baihua County. Today, he even personally presided over the opening of the reception. He was dressed in a moon-white brocade robe, its flowing sleeves accentuating his tall stature and handsome features.
At four quarters past the hour of You, the time has arrived, the passionate drumbeats rang out, and the toasting festival officially began.
Those elders who were quite prestigious in Baihua County stepped forward one by one, holding wine glasses in their hands, their eyes full of respect.
Qin Chuan, with a gentle smile on his face, accepted the wine glasses one by one, guzzling them generously with a graceful and elegant gesture. Afterward, he returned the gift, demonstrating his courtesy. Seeing this, the elders all laughed heartily, also tilting their heads back to finish their drinks. The atmosphere was warm and harmonious.
Luo Shuiyao was also infected by the lively atmosphere and couldn't help but blend into it.
Chun Xing had long been tempted by the sweet fruit wine. She flew to the table like a happy little bird, picked up the wine glass with a smile in her eyes, and drank it all in one gulp.
Seeing Chun Xing like this, Luo Shuiyao didn't try to stop her. The wine glass was only the size of a thumb, and the alcohol content of the fruit wine was very low. In her opinion, the alcohol content of this wine was not even as high as the beer she had drunk in her previous life, so she let Chun Xing have her fun.
The surroundings were bustling with noise and the aroma of wine filled the air. Luo Shuiyao took a sip of wine, feeling the sweet and sour taste of the wine spreading on her tongue. Looking at the lively scene in front of her, her mood became particularly relaxed.
Someone shouted, "Isn't this Miss Luo? Miss Luo is the great hero of Baihua County this time. I suggest we toast Miss Luo with a toast!"
Everyone then turned their eyes to Luo Shuiyao, and rushed forward with wine glasses in hand, surrounding Luo Shuiyao in an instant.
Luo Shuiyao didn't react for a moment, and before she could avoid it, she was dazzled by the wine glasses raised by everyone.