She couldn't be kept in the end.
They couldn't keep them.
Deep hatred
Dou Akou woke up in the middle of the night.
Tonight there are no stars or moon, only a dimly lit oil lamp on the table casting a faint, shadowy glow on the wall.
She felt pain all over her body, so she whispered, "Ah Xin, it hurts so much—"
Then, the memories of the day suddenly surged up like a raging tide, and her voice was cut off midway, as if someone had extinguished it.
Oh dear, how could I forget? Ah Xin is no longer her Ah Xin.
Dou Akou struggled to sit up and touched her body. It seemed that her wounds had been bandaged and her clothes had been changed, but she didn't know which kind person had done it.
As soon as she moved, a figure in the shadows stood up and softly called to her, "Akou, come and take your medicine."
Dou Akou's eyes widened suddenly as she looked at Fu Jiuxin, who had emerged from the shadows. He had been sitting there silently without her noticing. Now, standing in the candlelight, his features were obscured by the dim light, making his expression unclear, but his handsome face was still vaguely discernible.
He carried a bowl of medicine and sat down beside Dou Akou's bed: "Akou, take your medicine."
Dou Akou stared blankly.
She no longer knew whether the Fu Jiuxin in front of her was real or fake.
She wouldn't mistake the scent on her husband; it was indeed the same bitter yet pleasant aroma of Fu Jiuxin. But how could he act as if nothing had happened during the day? How could he treat her like he used to when she was sick, feeding her a spoonful of bitter medicine and then a bite of sweet candy?
Dou Akou held her head in her hands; she recognized Fu Jiuxin even less.
"Akou, be good, take your medicine." Fu Jiuxin's voice was a little hoarse and trembling.
He scooped up a spoonful of medicine and brought it to Dou Akou's lips. Dou Akou had been in a daze, but suddenly came to her senses and shrank back to the corner of the bed, saying, "S-Sir, don't drag me out of bed."
Fu Jiuxin's hand holding the bowl trembled, and he remained silent for a long time. He put down the bowl, wanting to hug Dou Akou: "Akou, I'm sorry—"
Dou Akou thought he was going to pull her away, so she reacted violently by waving her hand and slapping Fu Jiuxin across the face with a "smack." As she landed, she also knocked over the medicine bowl on the bedside table.
The porcelain bowl made a dull thud on the wooden floor, rolled a few times, and spilled the dark medicine all over the floor.
Dou Akou was even more frightened. She trembled violently and cried out, "Sir, I didn't mean to, I didn't mean to..."
Fu Jiuxin was taken aback; she was afraid of him. His Akou was starting to fear him.
That's karma.
Cause and effect are infallible; this is truly retribution.
He tried his best to protect everyone, but ended up putting the person he cherished in the eye of the storm, ultimately leaving her kneeling on the ground, looking at him with dejection.
"Akou, don't be afraid." He approached her cautiously, as if approaching a timid kitten.
Fu Jiuxin forced a smile, clenched his left fist, and punched his right arm hard: "Akou, look. It was the master who was wrong during the day. It was this arm that dragged you out of bed. Now I'm hitting it to vent your anger, okay?"
Dou Akou stared at Fu Jiuxin in fear.
She didn't know that Fu Jiuxin had used all his strength when he slapped her.
His bones cracked, the sound of dislocation. Fu Jiuxin remained calm, enduring the excruciating pain.
Even the most excruciating pain couldn't compare to the intense spasms and convulsions in his heart when he personally dragged Akou off the bed.
If even the suffering he's endured has to be equal, then he owes Ako far too much.
Dou Akou only knew that her usually serious husband was clumsily and desperately trying to coax her.
Seeing that Dou Akou had calmed down a bit, Fu Jiuxin used his undislocated hand to tentatively and slowly embrace her.
He felt the body in his arms stiffen and curl up into a ball, no longer as soft and unguarded as before, clinging to him without any reservations or defenses.
Dou Akou thought this was probably a dream, because only in her dream would Ah Xin treat her so gently.
She was thinking in a daze when she suddenly heard Fu Jiuxin's low voice: "Akou, give me a little more time, wait for me a little more time."
Not too many, just five days.
Five days would be enough for him to return to Ziwei Qingdu, change the situation, and finalize the deal. Then, he could repay Akou for what he owed her, one thing at a time.
What does it matter if he can give her anything she wants, even a heart or a life?
When Dou Akou woke up early in the morning, she thought back to everything that had happened the night before and felt like she was dreaming. She looked around and saw that there was no medicine bowl and the spilled medicine had been wiped clean. She was even more convinced that she was dreaming and tried to get out of bed with difficulty.
"Akou!" Liu Qingdai walked in hesitantly, stopping at the door frame. She didn't know how long she had been waiting outside, but seeing that Dou Akou had gotten up, she dared to speak: "Akou, may I come in?"
Her face was filled with remorse as she looked earnestly at Dou Akou: "Akou, I didn't mean to. I should have known better than to take you to Ninth Brother's room."
After a long while, Dou Akou finally said, "Come in."
Liu Qingdai stepped into the room, sat down by her bedside, and seeing that she wanted to get dressed, she quickly and attentively served her.
She hesitated for a moment before finally asking, "Akou, do you hate Ninth Brother?"
Dou Akou paused in her movements.
Hate Mr.?
How could that be? Her husband had protected her for ten years. If she were to hate him so much because of just one incident, she would despise herself.
She just doesn't dare to get close to her husband anymore.
Dou Akou gently shook her head: "I don't hate him. Ah Xin... Mr. is the closest person to me besides my parents. I still remember his kindness to this day. He treated me really well."
Liu Qingdai carefully observed her expression. Dou Akou was not lying. She had never known how to hide her emotions or deceive people. Even though she had experienced such pain yesterday, there was no hatred in her eyes, only some fear and sadness.
Liu Qingdai finally understood why Fu Jiuxin had that expression on his face and that smile on his lips when he talked about Dou Akou. In this world, though there are a thousand kinds of filth and turbidity, only Dou Akou can maintain her original purity and clarity, without a speck of dust.
"Sigh." She sighed, "Akou, wait a little longer. Ninth Brother asked me to take care of you. He's gone out, and this seems to be the last time he'll go out. Once this is over, you two can..."
She wanted to say, "We can be together then," but somehow, she couldn't bring herself to say it.
Dou Akou was not quite convinced, but she still sincerely said "Oh," and "Thank you, Miss Qingdai."
"Alright, you should rest now. Um, I'm leaving first." Liu Qingdai awkwardly looked away from Dou Akou's bright eyes and fled out the door.
That night, Dou Akou began to develop a fever. She was always healthy and rarely even caught a minor cold. But this time, the illness struck like a landslide, overwhelming her with its force.
Liu Qingdai panicked. She still remembered the expression on Fu Jiuxin's face when he entrusted Dou Akou to her, as if he were saying that if anything happened to Dou Akou, she wouldn't need to live either. She had never seen Fu Jiuxin so ruthless, and she was completely taken aback.
The doctor prescribed dose after dose of medicine, and Dou Akou sweated profusely, but her fever persisted. Eventually, she couldn't even speak.
The doctor could only shake his head: "This is probably a psychological problem. Medicine can't cure it."
Helpless, Liu Qingdai could only repeatedly whisper in Dou Akou's ear, "Akou, wait a little longer, your Axin will be back to see you soon."
She brought Dou Akou some porridge. Dou Akou would eat a bite and then spit it out, but she forced herself to continue eating even after she finished spitting it out.
Liu Qingdai couldn't bear to watch any longer, but then she saw Dou Akou struggling to speak. Her voice was hoarse, and she could only make hoarse, incoherent sounds. Liu Qingdai studied Dou Akou's lip movements for a long time before she could recognize a few words: "I want to wait for the master to return."
On the third day after Fu Jiuxin left, Su Luoyang returned.
As soon as Dou Akou opened her eyes, she saw Su Luoyang looking at her with concern: "Tangyuanzi, how did you get like this after I left?"
Before Dou Akou could answer, Liu Qingdai entered the room and was greatly surprised to see Su Luoyang: "Chan Tui, why are you back?"
Su Luoyang looked at her strangely: "Why can't I come back? I came back with Uncle Chen."
Liu Qingdai's expression changed: "Uncle Chen?"
On the day Fu Jiuxin left, he was clearly taking Dou Akou with him because he was worried that Uncle Chen would harm her!
"Yes. I met the young master halfway. I don't know where he went, but he was in such a hurry, riding at top speed all night, killing several good horses. He can handle it, but Uncle Chen is too old to take such a gait, so I took advantage of the young master's inattention and stole Uncle Chen!"
Su Luoyang was smug. He was agile and specialized in stealing intelligence, but stealing a living person was a first for him. The more he thought about it, the more proud he became. He patted his chest and said, "Who am I, Chan Tui? I stole such a big person, and the young master hasn't even noticed yet."
Or rather, the young master's mind was not on that.
Liu Qingdai stomped her foot, pointed at Su Luoyang's nose, and cursed, "Cicada Molting—you've really done something good!"
"What good news?" an old and dignified voice interrupted Liu Qingdai.
Liu Qingdai trembled and turned her head back, looking unsteady.
Chen Bo entered from outside the door with his hands behind his back and sneered, "Of course it's a good thing. If Chan Tui hadn't brought me back, I wouldn't have known that the young master had actually hidden this girl here."
Liu Qingdai was sweating profusely: "Ninth Brother told me to take good care of Akou."
"Of course he cares about this girl. To save her family, do you know what he did behind my back? He made a deal with the new emperor of the Huang Dynasty! He used the petrolatum from our Siyou Kingdom to exchange for the lives of this girl's family! That's the entire petrolatum deposit underground in the Siyou Kingdom!"
Uncle Chen suddenly raised his voice and shouted.
Liu Qingdai was stunned.
Everyone says that the Siyou Kingdom has treasures such as the famous sword Chu Shi buried underground, but they don't know that the Siyou Kingdom was so powerful in the past because of the underground stone fat deposits, which is the greatest treasure of the Siyou Kingdom.
Fu Jiuxin was actually willing to exchange this for Dou Akou.
Uncle Chen beat his chest and sighed repeatedly: "It's all because of this girl! She bewitched the young master, causing him to commit such a treasonous act!"
Dou Akou still had a fever, feeling alternating chills and fever. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but she vaguely knew that it seemed the master had exchanged something precious for her...
Su Luoyang was stunned and exclaimed, "What? What are you talking about? I don't understand!"
"Get out of the way!" Chen Bo stepped forward, shoving Su Luoyang away from Dou Akou's bedside with a palm strike. He looked down at Dou Akou and said, "The little girl is sick, isn't she? This is not good. This sickly girl will spread her illness to the palace, which is unlucky. In my opinion, it would be better to throw her out of the palace!"
"No!" Liu Qingdai and Su Luoyang said in unison. They looked at each other and Su Luoyang said urgently, "Uncle Chen, there must be some misunderstanding. Tang Yuanzi is not that kind of person. Besides, the young master never cares about the idea of disease being contagious. Please be more understanding."
Chen Bo paced back and forth a few times. Su Luoyang thought he had been persuaded and was feeling happy when suddenly Chen Bo rushed in front of him, pointed at his nose, and started cursing: "She's only been here a few days, and you fourteen people have already become friends with her. Now you've all learned to speak up for her! What is she if not a vixen?! This girl must be eliminated!"
Su Luoyang then realized that something serious must have happened while he was away. However, he had no time to investigate at the moment and could only bite the bullet and stand in front of Dou Akou's bed: "Uncle Chen, please forgive me."
Uncle Chen was taken aback: "Kid, you're going to fight me for her?"
Su Luoyang scratched his head, pondering how to persuade him, when Uncle Chen had already made his move. His martial arts skills were incredibly powerful, and if Su Luoyang hadn't been quick and agile, he would have been hit by several claws.
Su Luoyang possessed superb lightness skills and always relied on strategy in combat. He managed to withstand a few of Chen Bo's solid attacks before his strength began to wane.
Taking advantage of the situation, Uncle Chen let out a long howl, and before long, the group of people suddenly rushed into the house.
Su Luoyang was startled. Those people were all unfamiliar faces he had never seen before. He feared that Uncle Chen was secretly cultivating his own power!
Su Luoyang was entangled in Chen Bo's fight and couldn't spare the time to stop the others. Liu Qingdai didn't know martial arts and was powerless to stop them either, so she could only watch helplessly as Dou Akou was dragged off the bed.
"Qiu Ke! Hou Pu! Come quickly!" Su Luoyang shouted, hoping that his brothers were in the palace.