Faced with Xu Yu'er's unreasonable suggestion, Xu Bao'er paid it no mind. Her elder sister was extremely jealous and couldn't stand to see others doing well.
"No need for Elder Sister to trouble herself."
"A while ago, my husband and I discussed the matter of taking a concubine."
"My husband sternly refused, saying his health isn't the best. Having me is enough."
Using Zhou Jin's words to shut down the matter of taking a concubine was the most suitable approach for Xu Bao'er.
In all these years, Zhou Jin had never touched her, but he hadn't touched any other women either. Many people had tried to send women to Zhou Jin in the past, but he had rejected them all.
Therefore, Xu Bao'er's words were very convincing.
Many people suspected that the princes of the Great Zhou dynasty couldn't perform, and as one of them, Zhou Jin naturally couldn't escape the rumors.
Xu Yu'er didn't dare to ask Zhou Jin to verify the truth. She had been avoiding him all these years, terrified that he would lose his mind and kill her with a single slash of his sword.
Although she still didn't know what Zhou Jin looked like, Xu Bao'er was satisfied with the fact that he wasn't fond of women.
"If Elder Sister insists on sending someone, why don't you wait for my husband to arrive and discuss it with him personally?"
"No, no."
Xu Yu'er hastily refused. She absolutely could not meet Duan Wang.
The Empress already disdained her for almost marrying Duan Wang, and it had always been a sore spot in her heart. She felt the Crown Prince had gotten the short end of the stick, so she made things difficult for Xu Yu'er at every turn.
If the Empress found out she had met with Duan Wang in private and discussed something as intimate as taking a concubine, she would probably tear her to shreds.
"In that case, there's no need for Elder Sister to trouble herself with this matter."
Xu Bao'er smiled and patted Xu Yu'er's hand, delivering a silent counterattack.
Having failed to gain any advantage, Xu Yu'er was displeased. Seeing that the time for the court session to end was approaching, she left in a hurry to avoid running into Duan Wang.
Who would have known that Xu Yu'er would suffer from severe diarrhea that very night? She practically never left the latrine and was on the verge of collapsing from dehydration.
"Damn you, Xu Bao'er! It must have been her."
Xu Yu'er didn't dare make a fuss, as her visit to Duan Wang's manor could not be known. Besides, the imperial physician had examined her and found nothing, so she could only suffer in silence.
Because of this incident, the Crown Prince grew even more disgusted with her, always feeling that Xu Yu'er smelled foul.
After returning from court, Zhou Jin changed into a set of Cyan Bamboo Attire and sat at his desk, reading official documents.
"Is that what she said?"
After hearing the Shadow Guard's report, Zhou Jin tossed the document in his hand onto the desk, his expression unreadable.
"Yes."
The Shadow Guard answered respectfully. He had just reported to Zhou Jin about Xu Bao'er's meeting with the Crown Princess.
This naturally included the parts about consummating the marriage and taking a concubine.
Zhou Jin let out a soft chuckle. His long, narrow Rui Feng Eyes tilted upwards, his gaze as cold and sharp as an eagle's. He toyed with the Jade Thumb Ring on his hand, his movements lazy yet imposing.
"She's quite bold."
"To dare make up such lies."
The Shadow Guard didn't dare to respond. He was only responsible for monitoring the Duanwang Fei and reporting what he saw; he had no right to comment on his master's affairs.
Zhou Jin had no intention of confronting her. Although he found Xu Bao'er's act of borrowing his authority disgusting, it was nothing compared to the disgust of seeing the Xu family.
If the Emperor didn't utterly loathe him and deliberately keep Xu Bao'er around to humiliate him, the Xu family would have had their entire clan exterminated for a marriage switch like this, had it happened to any other prince.
At this thought, Zhou Jin's long, narrow eyes narrowed, brimming with killing intent.
Marrying the Xu family's legitimate daughter to the Crown Prince—did the Emperor really not see through the Xu family's tricks? No, he was using the distinction between legitimate and concubine-born daughters to subtly reprimand him.
After so many years on the battlefield, Zhou Jin had rarely suffered a loss, yet he had been schemed against by the Xu family in his own marriage, becoming the laughingstock of the entire capital.
One day, he would annihilate the entire Xu clan to avenge this slight.
Xu Bao'er hadn't expected the life of a Duanwang Fei to be so idle. Since Zhou Jin disliked her, he hadn't handed over the management of the manor to her.
With no other pastime besides reading storybooks every day, Xu Bao'er was incredibly bored.
"Let's go. We're going out to the streets."
"Your Highness, we absolutely cannot."
"If His Highness finds out, we'll be finished."
Cuihua immediately panicked at Xu Bao'er's suggestion. Her round face scrunched up in anxiety.
What's there to be afraid of? Xu Bao'er thought. If Duan Wang was angry, well, she was angry too!
That brute had been so rough. The bruises on her body still hadn't faded.
"Don't be afraid."
"We'll go secretly. I'll take responsibility if anything happens."
Cuihua wasn't old, only about fourteen or fifteen. But her mind was as rigid as an old man in his seventies or eighties; she was stubbornly set in her ways.
The mere mention of taking her out was like asking for her life.
"Forget it. I'll go first."
"You keep watch for me."
Without giving Cuihua a chance to refuse, Xu Bao'er began to pack her things.
The Great Zhou dynasty's restrictions on women weren't particularly harsh. Widows who had given birth were especially sought after. Because childbirth was a very difficult affair in ancient times, common families didn't care much about chastity.
After all, having been married before was not a woman's stain.
"Your Highness, why don't we report this to His Highness?"
"It's not safe to go out alone."
Xu Bao'er had no intention of telling Zhou Jin. If she told him, she definitely wouldn't be able to leave. Zhou Jin had always treated her as a spy sent by the Emperor; he would never let her move about freely on her own.
"Alright, Cuihua, you need to remember that you are my personal maid."
"If you don't side with me, I'll sell you off."
As expected, upon hearing this, Cuihua was so frightened that she quickly covered her mouth, signaling that she would keep the secret.
Xu Bao'er changed into men's clothing and left Duan Wang's manor under the cover of night.
In truth, Xu Bao'er had long since discovered that someone was following her and guessed they were from Duan Wang's manor. This time, she evaded the Shadow Guard's line of sight and successfully slipped out.
"Proprietor, bring me one of every signature dish."
Xu Bao'er was hungry and quickly found a well-known restaurant to enjoy some fine food.
Spending Zhou Jin's money, Xu Bao'er didn't feel the slightest bit of heartache.
A husband's money was naturally for his wife to spend. If she was reluctant to spend it, who knew which little vixen would benefit from it in the future.
"Right away, coming right up!"
Soon, a table of fine dishes was served, and Xu Bao'er focused on eating. However, her appearance was too eye-catching, and it wasn't long before troublemakers came looking for her.
"Well, well, look at this tender-skinned pretty boy."
"For a man to be this good-looking, he must be born to be pinned down by others."
The vulgar words were unbearable to the ear.
Xu Bao'er looked up to see a man in his thirties wearing an extremely tacky ingot-shaped hat. His face was fleshy, and when he grinned, a foul stench wafted over.
He held a fan in one fat hand, tapping it against Xu Bao'er's table, his protruding belly looking just like a toad's.
"Hahaha, pretty boy, it's your good fortune that our Young Master Fu has taken a liking to you."
"Hurry up and show your gratitude," the fat toad's sycophantic attendant chimed in.
"Alright."
Xu Bao'er replied with a smile, casually picking up the chopsticks from the table. With one hand braced on the table, she twisted her other hand and viciously stabbed the chopsticks into the back of the fat toad's palm.
"Ah!" A pig-like squeal erupted. The fat toad instantly started crying for his parents.
"Does it hurt? It's supposed to hurt."
"Watch your mouth next time." Xu Bao'er had no patience for the fat toad. He was courting death by daring to provoke her.
"Let our young master go! Men, get him!"
The fat toad's guards all drew their long sabers and charged fiercely at Xu Bao'er.
Xu Bao'er wasn't flustered at all. The fat toad was still pinned to the table by her, so she simply used him as a shield.
The guards didn't dare to act recklessly, afraid of hitting the fat toad.
"Be careful, don't hit me! If you hit me, you're all dead."
"Little Brother, spare me! I'll never run my mouth again," the fat toad, in extreme pain, quickly begged for mercy.
Xu Bao'er couldn't be bothered to waste any more time on the fat toad. After giving him a vicious kick, she threw down a silver ingot and quickly slipped away.
"You stinking brat, don't let me catch you! If I catch you, I'll kill you!"
The fat toad collapsed on the ground, cursing after Xu Bao'er.
Xu Bao'er hadn't run far before she was stopped at the entrance of a small alley by a youth in dark robes, who was accompanied by a man in black.
Their eyes met, and for a moment, Xu Bao'er was in a daze.
The man in black was exceedingly handsome, with well-defined brows and clear eyes. His indifferent gaze was distant and cold, carrying an air of untamable arrogance. The wide sleeves of his robe were embroidered with auspicious cloud and crane patterns in silver thread.
One glance was enough to tell he was a young master from an extremely noble family.
"Young Master, your skills are quite impressive."
"What do you want?" Xu Bao'er was wary of the dark-robed youth's friendly gesture.
"It's just that my Fourth Brother and I would like to befriend you."
Ha, it looks like you're the one who wants to befriend me; your Fourth Brother doesn't want to at all. From the beginning until now, that so-called Fourth Brother hasn't even given me a proper look.
Xu Bao'er couldn't help but complain inwardly.
"I am Zhou Zhao, ranked ninth in my family. This is my Fourth Brother, Zhou Jin."
Zhou Jin!
Xu Bao'er's head snapped toward the man in black. So he was the brute from that night