Divorce her?
Thinking of this, Xu Bao'er began to entertain a mischievous idea.
I insist on making you unable to bear letting me go.
Xu Bao'er knelt on the bed couch, her eyes slightly closed as she gently kissed Zhou Jin's cheek.
Her eyelashes trembled violently, like startled butterflies. With her elfin, lively face and dignified, elegant white brocade robe, she looked exactly like a saintess being offered as a sacrifice.
Youthful and pure.
Zhou Jin's hand involuntarily clenched into a fist, the veins on its back standing out clearly. His eyes were tightly shut as he exercised forbearance and restraint.
Zhou Jin allowed Xu Bao'er to move from his face to his adam’s apple and tease him. His adam’s apple bobbed, and his brows drew tightly together.
"Prince."
"I have fallen for you."
Her timid voice was sweet and coquettish, like honey, making one willingly accepting.
A broad hand and slender jade-like fingers slowly traced circles.
A face that was both pure and alluring, paired with a figure that made one's blood surge.
"Whose person are you?"
The darkness in Zhou Jin's eyes deepened. His hand easily seized Xu Bao'er's small, exquisite chin as he questioned her in a low voice.
"I am the prince's person."
"I have fallen for the prince."
A gentle kiss descended, and Zhou Jin completely lost control. No one knew who had pulled down the bed curtain, which draped halfway over Xu Bao'er's slender waist.
All that could be heard was Zhou Jin repeatedly demanding to know whose person Xu Bao'er was, while her replies that she was the prince's person grew softer and softer.
"Who are you?"
"Tell me, who exactly are you?"
Zhou Jin was behind Xu Bao'er, his voice hoarse. At a time like this, he did not want to call her that damned Zhang San, or whatever terrible name it was.
Even the false name had been chosen without any care.
"My name is Bao'er."
Bao'er? Something flashed through Zhou Jin's mind for an instant, but he could not grasp it. With no time to think deeply, he called "Bao'er" again and again, like a lover's murmur.
His deep, mellow voice was languid and lingering, like a pure feather brushing across Xu Bao'er's heart.
It turned out that even beneath Zhou Jin's forceful taking, he could be this gentle.
At daybreak, Song Xingzhi hurried to the courtyard where the prince lived. Worried that Zhang San's medicine might not work, he had already sent many people to seek a famous physician who understood the poison of the western frontier.
The prince absolutely must not have anything happen to him.
"General Song, the prince has ordered that no one may enter."
Before he could even step into the courtyard, Song Xingzhi was stopped by the two guards at the entrance.
"This general is not just anyone. Others cannot enter, but this general is an exception."
Zhou Jin had always doted on Song Xingzhi, often indulging his antics.
"It truly won't do. The prince specifically ordered it. General Song, you cannot enter either."
What? Could something terrible have happened?
Song Xingzhi was frantic. What exactly had happened? The prince had actually refused to see even him. Was Zhang San really reliable?
His eyes rolled around, and Song Xingzhi left the courtyard, deliberately grabbing several maidservants to interrogate them.
The moment they saw Song Xingzhi's handsome, youthful face, the maidservants blushed.
"What happened in the prince's courtyard last night? Did Young Master Zhang ask you to bring him any medicine?"
"Young General Song, we did not see Young Master Zhang last night."
"However, the prince called for water several times late at night."
Called for water? What did he need water for?
This pure-hearted young man, Song Xingzhi, was utterly bewildered.
Could he have been taking a medicinal bath in the middle of the night?
Sob, my poor prince must have been in such pain that he needed to soak in a medicinal bath for so long.
"Was the prince's mental state all right?"
"Quite... quite good. His complexion was rosy."
The maidservant's face reddened like a hibiscus in the third month. Recalling the scene she had witnessed the night before, she wished she could curl into a ball.
She had never seen anyone more masculine than Prince Duan. Last night, he had worn white undergarments, with only a matching robe loosely draped over his upper body. His wheat-colored mermaid curves were beaded with sweat.
His black long hair hung loose, radiating the domineering aura of a male lion. His highly aggressive face had an icy gaze, while the muscular contours of his long legs were faintly visible.
The maidservant was no innocent and naturally knew what had happened inside.
She had secretly glanced inside last night and seen only a small, fair jade-like foot protruding beyond the bed curtain.
From that single foot, the maidservant knew how breathtakingly beautiful the woman inside the bed curtain must be—beautiful enough to make one's divine soul lose itself, leaving one unable to stop.
It was not until the sun was high in the sky that Song Xingzhi finally saw the prince he was constantly thinking about. Just as the maidservant had said, the prince looked perfectly fine.
Zhang San, oh Zhang San, you truly are no ordinary man. You are astonishingly talented.
Not only could you devise strategies to capture the mountain bandits, you could also heal the sick and save lives.
Judging by the prince's rosy complexion and delighted expression, it was obvious that Zhang San must have worked hard all night.
Thinking of this, Song Xingzhi decided to give Xu Bao'er some of the good things he had kept hidden away.
"Prince, has the poison been cured?"
"Mm."
"A-San is quite capable. How about we recruit him into the camp as an advisor?"
Song Xingzhi rather liked Zhang San, but he could neither fight nor ride a horse, making him inconvenient to take along.
"If he needs to ride a horse in the future, I can take him with me. Then the prince won't have to trouble himself."
"No need."
Zhou Jin's tone revealed no emotion, but Song Xingzhi grew terribly anxious.
"Aside from being a little weak and unable to fight or ride a horse, A-San has no other faults. He is exceptionally intelligent, brave, resourceful, and has great potential."
Seeing Song Xingzhi praise Bao'er so extravagantly, Zhou Jin felt a trace of jealousy.
"This prince has already taken her in."
The innocent Song Xingzhi had no idea what exactly this "taking in" entailed, and his face lit up with joy.
"Ha-ha, then congratulations, prince, on gaining another talented individual."
At that moment, the "talented individual" Song Xingzhi spoke of was lying on his prince's bed couch, her two little feet bobbing up and down.
Her slender jade-like fingers twirled a lock of long hair around and around.
Xu Bao'er thought to herself that although Prince Duan was cold from head to toe toward outsiders, toward her, he was cold on the outside but warm at heart.
So it turned out that liking someone and disliking someone were completely different in that regard.
Although he was equally overbearing and knew no restraint, last night he had shown affection and gentleness.
Last night, Zhou Jin pulled her into his embrace and cherishedly kissed her forehead.
"Little liar, do not let me down."
Xu Bao'er did not know what Zhou Jin meant by "little liar." He probably thought she was suspicious, but had not guessed her true identity. Now that Zhou Jin had taken the bait, Xu Bao'er was overjoyed.
Zhou Jin was a man of clear love and hate: utterly cold, yet concealing equally intense tenderness.
The experiences of his youth had turned him into a cold-blooded, heartless living yama, who hated betrayal and deceit most of all.
Thinking of this, Xu Bao'er curled herself into a ball.
She pondered how she should deal with Zhou Jin once he learned her true identity.
What should she wear?
A little eunuch's uniform? Or a guard's outfit?
In the real world, Xu Bao'er had been an orphan. Zhou Jin was not an orphan, but his childhood had been even more unfortunate than hers.
Because they shared similar suffering, Xu Bao'er felt an extra measure of tolerance and understanding toward Zhou Jin.
She admired Zhou Jin's courage and resilience. Even though everyone around him hated and bullied him, he had still struggled to survive—and lived brilliantly.
Like a flower growing among thorns, breaking through the darkness and growing wildly.