Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 839 - 837_1

Chapter 839: 837_1

On the wide river surface, a luxurious ship was sailing rapidly.

Xiao’er was lying on a soft big bed, slowly opening her eyes.

The unfamiliar environment reminded her immediately of what had happened!

In the midst of the fight, the floor beneath her collapsed. She fell instantly, just had time to shout out "Brother Shangguan!" before getting hit on the back of her head with a cudgel, causing her to pass out.

Xiao’er tried to sit up subconsciously, but found she was unable to move! Someone must have sealed her acupoints!

Darn it! Who was so despicable to knock her out and seal her acupoints?

How could she escape now?!

Unable to move, Xiao’er was considering hiding in a separate space, but she sensed someone was secretly watching her.

At this moment, the door was pushed open, and a tall figure walked in, coming to her bedside.

Xiao’er wasn’t too surprised to see him; she simply looked at him coldly.

Escaping wasn’t going to be easy!

From Shangguan Wanru’s request for the rice breeding method to the pill incident, and to encountering Gong Qinghua on the boat, Xiao’er guessed that this second prince of Nangong Country still hadn’t given up on the rice breeding method and the pill formula.

Now that he had her, he wouldn’t let her escape easily!

Gong Qinghua admired her courage, seeing no surprise or panic in Xiao’er’s eyes upon seeing him.

"Aren’t you a bit surprised to see me, Lady of Rui’an County?" he couldn’t help but voice his thoughts.

Xiao’er showed a hint of contempt in her eyes, replying, "Not at all."

"Why?" Gong Qinghua was truly surprised because he had no idea they were going to Zhenyang County.

Had he known earlier, he would not have deliberately set Mrs. Li to set fire on the ship, waiting for them directly in Zhenyang County would have been enough.

Of course, he didn’t anticipate Mrs. Li unexpectingly stabbing Princess Rui.

He had merely imagined that with the ship on fire, Shangguan Xuanyi and Princess Rui would jump into the river to save themselves.

Then his men, hidden under the water, would seize the opportunity to take them away.

However, the ingenious Lady of Rui’an County miraculously managed to control the sailboat. Despite the danger, she and the prince willingly put their noble status aside to personally save the ship’s passengers.

He had to admit, watching Princess Rui’s calm and brave actions, and her tireless efforts between the ship and the shore, he was deeply impressed.

No wonder so many commoners were cheering for her on her wedding day!

If she were his Imperial Consort, would he also receive the people’s allegiance and all hearts winning to him?

Gong Qinghua’s gaze at Xiao’er had taken a different, passionate turn.

Moreover, he was unwilling to call her Princess Rui and instinctively wanted to call her by the title she had before marriage.

"Why should I be surprised?" Xiao’er met his gaze and silently speculated why he was looking at her differently.

Gong Qinghua chuckled at her reply, "Indeed!"

A woman as smart as her would have already guessed his intentions upon seeing him there.

She must have known that there was no super rice grown in Zhenyang County.

So, where had all the super rice seeds gone?

Upon seeing him, she surely would have realized that those rice seeds were sold to him!

Indeed, these past few years, he had used those super rice seeds to stock up on military food.

Gong Qinghua was no longer satisfied with merely threatening her for the formula for the pills and the breeding method for super rice seeds.

He wanted to win her heart and have her serve him completely!

Thinking of this, there was a hint of tenderness in his gaze at Xiao’er.

Nonsense! Xiao’er looked at the tenderness in his eyes, suspecting she was seeing things.

What was going on? Could it be a hallucination from the concussion caused by the cudgel? Why did she feel that Gong Qinghua’s gaze at her was similar to Brother Shangguan’s from time to time?

Xiao’er shook her head (but couldn’t), must have been overthinking!

"Does your head still hurt?" Gong Qinghua pointed to the back of Xiao’er’s head.

"Why don’t you let someone hit you with a cudgel and see for yourself!" Xiao’er retorted angrily.

An example of crocodile tears.

Gong Qinghua didn’t get angry at her response, "I’m sorry, my subordinate was too heavy-handed. If it had been me, I would have only sealed your acupoints and not caused you injury."

Upon hearing this, Xiao’er could barely resist rolling her eyes. She sarcastically responded, "Well then, I should thank you for your kindness."

Gong Qinghua: "..."

Xiao’er closed her eyes, not wanting to talk to him anymore. Being immobilized, all she could do was wait for Shangguan Xuanyi to rescue her.

Noticing that Xiao’er no longer wanted to engage with him, Gong Qinghua, who was always confident and dominant, was not unaffected, but he suppressed his feelings and asked, "What does the Lady of Rui’an County like to eat? I can have someone prepare it for you."

"Thanks, anything without poison will do! As a captive, I have no right to be choosy!" Xiao’er didn’t open her eyes and replied in annoyance.

No woman had ever dared to disrespect him so openly! Gong Qinghua was truly angry this time. Couldn’t she see that he was intentionally being kind and considerate to her? Who would treat a captive like that? And who had ever seen a captive as audacious as her?

Suppressing his dissatisfaction, Gong Qinghua spoke again, "Lady of Rui’an County, I genuinely hope to form a good relationship with you. Forcing you onto this ship was a last resort. I guarantee that I can provide everything Shangguan Xuanyi can, and even more! Now you are in my grasp, it’d be wise for you to cooperate. As long as you listen to me, I can give you the same wealth and honor you have in Minze Country!"

Listening to this, Xiao’er was filled with disdain. She opened her eyes, hid her emotions and looked back at him, "What makes you think you can compare with my husband? My husband would risk his life for me. Let alone sealing my acupoints and rendering me immobile. How am I supposed to trust you?"

Gong Qinghua glanced at the incapacitated Xiao’er and pondered internally: should he release her acupoints?

However, her martial arts skills were not weak. If he released her acupoints, she would definitely try to escape.

Gong Qinghua glanced at her, "Once you’ve passed my test, I will naturally set you free. For now, I still can’t trust you."

As he finished these words, Gong Qinghua turned to leave.

"Wait!" Xiao’er quickly called after him.

Gong Qinghua turned around to look at her.

"Without releasing my acupoints, how will I eat later? As soon as you unseal my acupoints, I’ll find a way to escape!"

"When it’s time to eat, someone will naturally come to serve you. You don’t need to worry about it!"

Under no circumstances would Gong Qinghua unseal her acupoints, he knew her abilities too well!