The county magistrate's residence was brightly lit, and everyone there was bustling about.
Prince Duan had been poisoned. The fourth chieftain's dagger was coated with a deadly poison. He had prepared that blade specially; afraid he might fail to kill Zhou Jin, he had at least made sure it could poison him to death.
“Prince, it was all my fault. I caused you to be injured.”
Song Xingzhi's neck was wrapped in gauze. As soon as he awoke, he kept vigil beside Zhou Jin's bed, his eyes terribly red.
Song Xingzhi had known the prince since he was eight years old. The two of them had grown up together in the military camp. The prince was not only his master, but also his elder brother.
“Xingzhi, you have saved this prince many times. There is no need to blame yourself.”
Zhou Jin knew that Song Xingzhi was a crybaby by nature and could not bear to see him blame himself. To Zhou Jin, Song Xingzhi was family.
“Physician, how exactly can this poison be cured?”
“Give me an answer quickly.”
When Song Xingzhi saw that Zhou Jin's lips had turned bluish and that black blood was seeping from the wound on his back from time to time, his heart ached terribly.
“General Song, this poison is extremely strange. It seems to be a poison from the western frontier. This old man has not studied it extensively. Please find another expert as soon as possible.”
“Judging from the rate at which this poison is spreading, if an antidote cannot be found within two days, the prince will probably lose his life.”
As a Mountain Bandit, the fourth chieftain had traveled far and wide, robbing merchants along every route. Naturally, he possessed many strange and unusual poisons.
“Why are you not searching for the antidote yet? If anything happens to the prince, all of you will become burial companions!”
Upon hearing that his prince's life was in danger, Song Xingzhi immediately grew anxious. If their prince died, there would be no need for these Useless Wretches to remain alive either.
“Why not let me try? I know quite a bit about poisons from the western frontier.”
Xu Bao'er stepped forward. If Zhou Jin died, would that not make her a beautiful widow? She was also carrying a child; her children could not be born without a father.
“A-San, you actually know medicine!”
These past few days, Song Xingzhi and Xu Bao'er had grown considerably closer. His form of address had also changed from Young Master Zhang to A-San.
Song Xingzhi's handsome peach blossom eyes lit up. He had not expected Zhang San to have so many ideas for bandit suppression and also know how to treat people.
“I know a little.”
Xu Bao'er smiled modestly. Previously, Jing Lie had given her a bottle of medicine to repay her, claiming it was a secret medicine from the Western Regions that could cure all poisons.
“Ding-dong, congratulations, host, on obtaining the important item, Hundred Herb Pill.”
The system had given her that warning at the time; the cheating was so obvious. Xu Bao'er was not foolish. This medicine would clearly come in handy.
“This... Prince Duan cannot let you use him for practice!”
The old physician saw that Xu Bao'er was young and feared that she might kill the prince while treating him. In a fit of rage, Young General Song would chop them all to pieces.
He did not want to die.
“It is fine. Let her do it.”
Zhou Jin made the final decision.
“All of you may leave. I alone will take care of the prince.”
Xu Bao'er had no intention of missing such a wonderful opportunity to be alone with him. All these third wheels could get out of her way.
She was going to seduce your prince.
Song Xingzhi exchanged a glance with Zhou Jin. He understood what his prince meant and immediately dismissed everyone.
Song Xingzhi closed the door. Recalling the way the prince and Zhang San behaved together, it did not seem quite like an interaction between men. An ominous thought arose in his mind.
“The prince has not had a woman all these years. Could it be that he likes men?”
At that thought, he shuddered all over and patted his forehead, muttering, “Stop overthinking.”
“The prince is absolutely a real man.”
Only Zhou Jin and Xu Bao'er remained inside the room. Facing the living yama before her, Xu Bao'er was not afraid at all.
She took out the medicine bottle containing the Hundred Herb Pill, poured one pill into her palm, and held it out to Zhou Jin.
“Prince, this medicine is called the Hundred Herb Pill. Swallow it. You will recover within a few days.”
“Thank you.”
Under the candlelight, Zhou Jin's gaze became thoughtful.
Xu Bao'er knelt beside the bed with both human legs and personally fed the Hundred Herb Pill in her hand to Zhou Jin. Inevitably, it brushed against his lips, thin and cool.
Zhou Jin grabbed Xu Bao'er's jade-like hand as it ran rampant across his lips, holding it in his palm and studying it leisurely.
Wheat-colored skin intertwined with extreme whiteness. Xu Bao'er felt her breathing grow hot, just like the palm of his hand.
Who said only women could seduce people? When Prince Duan seduced someone, he was practically a male fox spirit, no less captivating than a woman.
With his right hand, Zhou Jin grasped the jade hairpin in Xu Bao'er's black hair and gave it a gentle tug. Her hair spilled loose.
Xu Bao'er timidly raised her head. Her eyes sparkled as they moved, and dressed in a white satin brocade robe embroidered with hibiscus flowers, she looked exactly like a fairy who had fallen into the mortal realm.
Zhou Jin's breathing tightened.
Her exquisite oval face held a pair of seductive fox eyes, yet her gaze shone like moonlight, clear and flawless. With cherry lips, a jade-like nose, and a petite lip pearl, she seemed especially suited for kissing.
A large hand caressed Xu Bao'er's face, the thumb gently rubbing her fair cheeks flushed with pink. Beneath the candlelight, Xu Bao'er's Face resembled a peach in June.
“Who are you?”
“For what purpose did you approach this prince?”
Zhou Jin had sent people to investigate Xu Bao'er's identity. It was truly difficult to uncover the identity of a noblewoman as bold and eccentric as her.
Even during bandit suppression, she had dared to hide in a tree and spy on them.
Zhou Jin did not care whether Xu Bao'er had come for power and wealth. He was worried that Xu Bao'er had been sent by someone else.
Xu Bao'er's gaze wavered slightly. When asked about her identity, she absolutely could not tell the truth. She feared that if she did, Zhou Jin would strangle her to death right there in bed.
She had to trick Zhou Jin into falling for her first.
“This humble girl admires the prince, so she Disguised herself as a Man to approach you.”
“Ever since I first saw the prince that day, I have been unable to forget you.”
Xu Bao'er did not dare reveal the truth, so she instead heaped praise upon Prince Duan. What man did not like being admired by women?
She had him completely in the palm of her hand; the words came effortlessly.
Xu Bao'er still was not certain how much Zhou Jin loved her. Once Zhou Jin loved her to the point of desperation, she would deal with him harshly.
“Your identity makes this so difficult for you.”
“In that case, how should this prince propose marriage to you?”
Propose marriage? Xu Bao'er widened her eyes, feeling an indescribable sense of strangeness.
Could it be that her performance that night had been so poor? Even with that performance, could she still not win back Zhou Jin's heart?
What a heartless man, taking everything and wiping his mouth clean afterward.
Because Zhou Jin's thoughts had previously been filled with plans to kill the xu family members at every turn, Xu Bao'er had taken the initiative to ask the system to block his thoughts.
Listening to them was annoying!
“But the prince already has a princess consort. This humble girl will not become a concubine.”
Xu Bao'er wanted to hear how Zhou Jin intended to deal with his Princess Consort of Prince Duan. She wanted to tease him. When he discovered the truth and realized that she had played him, would he be angered to death?
At the mention of the Princess Consort of Prince Duan, the darkness in Zhou Jin's eyes deepened.
The Xu Family had caused a substitute marriage, turning him into the laughingstock of the entire capital city. Xu Bao'er had schemed to force the consummation of marriage, then slandered him before everyone by claiming he was impotent. She was utterly shameless and vicious, truly worthy of being Xu Yu'er's biological sister.
“I will divorce her as soon as I return.”
Zhou Jin had never divorced the Princess Consort of Prince Duan, apart from preventing the empress from planting a spy beside him. He had another purpose as well: he intended to kill that woman personally.