Xu Bao'er decided to teach the Crown Prince a lesson. If the King of Hell wouldn't claim the man who bullied her man, she would.
This specially crafted Misty Incense was one of Xu Bao'er's favorite tools – colorless, odorless, harmless, with long-lasting unconscious effects that guaranteed no awareness for at least three hours.
The guards at the entrance had already collapsed, allowing Xu Bao'er to stride confidently through the main door.
Once inside, she headed straight for the Crown Prince.
"You stupid pig head, how dare you bully my man!"
"Let me show you what I'm capable of."
"Ah, take this and this and this!"
Xu Bao'er put on her special gloves, a reward from her previous missions that prevented her hands from hurting when hitting someone.
She then proceeded to slap the Crown Prince's face repeatedly with both hands until it swelled up. His originally pale, pig-like skin now turned purple and blue.
Even after the beating, Xu Bao'er still felt unsatisfied. Remembering how the Crown Prince had mocked Zhou Jin earlier, she decided to repay him in kind.
She took out a medicine bottle from her clothes, retrieved a pill, and threw it into the Crown Prince's mouth. Forcing his jaw upward, she made him swallow it.
"Here's a Lineage Severing Pill for you!"
"Let's see how arrogant you can be now!" Still fuming, Xu Bao'er delivered several more punches to the Crown Prince.
After dealing with the Crown Prince, it was time to handle Xu Yu'er.
Dealing with Xu Yu'er was much simpler, and the method Xu Bao'er used was far more effective than physically beating her.
With just a light lift of her hand, she placed Xu Yu'er's hand on that idiot Crown Prince's face.
Killing with a borrowed knife – mission accomplished.
After completing everything, Xu Bao'er happily slipped away, eagerly awaiting the drama that would unfold tomorrow.
Of course, this was far from enough. Everything was just beginning. Xu Bao'er had prepared a major scheme waiting to be pinned on the Crown Prince.
Shamelessly stealing others' merits like a disgusting parasite.
Fine, if you want to steal credit, then steal it. Since you're going to steal it, steal it completely.
Although the merit of suppressing bandits was great, it also concealed numerous dangers.
You'll make a perfect scapegoat, Crown Prince.
The quiet courtyard echoed with heart-wrenching screams.
"Ah, Your Highness, spare me!"
"It really wasn't me!"
"How would I dare… dare to do such a thing?" Xu Yu'er's speech was slurred from the beating, one hand desperately covering her face.
"Slut! If you didn't hit me, then who did?"
"I've long known you were restless, with those dog eyes constantly staring at Duan Wang. Did you really think I wouldn't notice?"
"You promiscuous whore!"
"I was going to spare you some dignity, but you actually dared to beat my face like this while I was asleep!"
"Looking for death!"
The Crown Prince grabbed Xu Yu'er by her hair while relentlessly slapping her.
Blood trickled from the corner of Xu Yu'er's mouth.
"Whore! Even Duan Wang didn't want this trash!"
"You schemed desperately to marry me, and now you're getting your retribution."
The Crown Prince had never liked Xu Yu'er, especially because she had once been engaged to Duan Wang.
In the Crown Prince's eyes, Duan Wang was nothing but a dog. Marrying a woman even a dog wouldn't take was utterly humiliating.
If not for his father's decree, the Crown Prince would have beaten Xu Yu'er to death long ago.
"Don't think I don't know that this so-called substitute marriage was your scheme all along."
"If Duan Wang only knew you better, had he met you, he would understand the truth of what happened back then."
"Do you really think I'm a fool? I've seen plenty of women, their tricks are nothing impressive."
Xu Yu'er's mouth burned with pain, her heart filled with hatred for the Crown Prince. This man beat her as if it were a daily routine.
She had originally thought that by marrying the gentle Crown Prince and becoming the Crown Princess, she would stand above all but one.
If the Crown Prince were foolish, she could even use him as a puppet to control the entire country.
Unexpectedly, the famously gentle Crown Prince turned out to be a pervert. He not only fooled around with women but also secretly with men.
Since she was suffering, she decided that Duan Wang and the others shouldn't have it easy either.
This was what they owed her.
Everyone knew about the Crown Prince beating the Crown Princess, but no one dared speak of it.
Spreading such news would mean losing one's head.
The Crown Prince, who was originally scheduled to inspect Jiu Lan Mountain, had now claimed illness and canceled the plan.
After all, his face was beaten to a pulp and completely unpresentable.
"A-San, the Crown Prince is seriously ill, you should stay away from him."
Song Xingzhi was very worried about Xu Bao'er. He had vaguely heard some rumors about the Crown Prince.
"Did you know? The Crown Prince's residence secretly keeps some handsome young men."
"You were wise to wear a mask when you met him before."
"If he had seen your face, you would be in danger."
Song Xingzhi looked at Xu Bao'er, who wore a mask all day, and began to gossip quietly.
"Rumor has it that the women in the Crown Prince's residence are just for show. The Crown Prince actually prefers men, and those women are merely a cover."
Xu Bao'er never expected the Crown Prince to be both ugly and so promiscuous.
"By the way, where's Luo Qiang?"
Song Xingzhi didn't know why Xu Bao'er suddenly brought up Luo Qiang, who was currently locked up in prison.
"He's reforming in prison, behaving quite obediently."
Xu Bao'er crooked her finger, signaling Song Xingzhi to come closer.
"How about we release him? See if we can catch Xu Shaofei."
Although Luo Qiang's rank among the Jiu Lan Mountain bandits wasn't very high, his role was extremely important—he was in charge of intelligence and information for Jiu Lan Mountain.
That's why Luo Qiang had been leading a small team to deliver information when he ran into Xu Bao'er.
It was likely that Luo Qiang was one of the very few in the Jiu Lan Mountain bandit group who knew the big shot behind the scenes.
"This… this isn't really appropriate."
Song Xingzhi was very obedient to their Wangye. Without Wangye's permission, especially for such an important matter, he wouldn't act on his own.
"I'm doing this for Wangye's benefit as well." After much persuasion, Xu Bao'er finally convinced Song Xingzhi to help her release Luo Qiang.
Late at night, Zhou Jin's courtyard was exceptionally quiet. His study was lit as he read military texts.
Soon, there was a knock at the door.
The shadow outside the window, cast on the paper pane, clearly revealed the visitor was a woman.
Zhou Jin paid no attention. If Bao'er were looking for him, she would be dressed in men's clothing.
The knocking grew from gentle to urgent, and Zhou Jin vaguely guessed who was standing outside.
Late at night, a man and a woman alone.
Zhou Jin simply didn't respond, to avoid unnecessary trouble. He also knew that earlier that day, the Crown Prince had severely beaten the Crown Princess.
Strangely enough, the Crown Prince’s face was also covered in bruises. Even if Xu Yu’er were given a hundred times more courage, she wouldn’t dare strike the Crown Prince—that would be a crime punishable by death.
So, who was borrowing a knife to kill?
Zhou Jin thought of his Bao’er and felt both amused and exasperated. The Crown Prince appeared gentle and honest on the surface, but in reality, he was not someone to be trifled with. He held grudges over the slightest offenses and employed extremely cruel methods.
With a creak, the door swung open.
Zhou Jin hadn’t expected that the visitor would manage to obtain the key to the study. The Crown Princess truly had remarkable means.