Xu Bao'er planned to teach the crown prince a lesson. If the King Yama would not take in the man who bullied her, she would take care of him herself.
This specially made bewitching incense was one of Xu Bao'er's favorite tools. It was colorless, odorless, and harmless, with a long-lasting effect that guaranteed the target would remain unconscious for three hours.
The guards at the entrance had already collapsed, so Xu Bao'er entered through the main gate openly.
As soon as she entered, Xu Bao'er headed straight for the crown prince.
“You damned pighead! How dare you bully my man?”
“Let me show you what I can do.”
“Ah, hit, hit, hit, hit!”
Xu Bao'er put on a pair of specially made gloves. They were a reward she had received during a mission in the past, and they ensured that her hands would not hurt when she hit someone.
Xu Bao’er’s hands moved left and right in succession, slapping the crown prince until his face swelled. His originally pig-like pale skins were now beaten purple and blue.
Even after finishing, Xu Bao'er still did not feel satisfied. Recalling the crown prince's mocking words toward Zhou Jin that day, she decided to treat him with the same method he had used on others.
Xu Bao'er pulled out a medicine bottle, took out a medicinal pill, and tossed it into the crown prince's mouth. She then forcefully lifted his chin, making him swallow it.
“I bestow upon you a pill that will leave you without descendants.”
“Let's see you act arrogant again!” Still furious at the memory, Xu Bao'er punched the crown prince several more times.
After dealing with the crown prince, she would deal with Xu Yu'er next.
Dealing with Xu Yu'er was simple. Xu Bao'er's methods were far more formidable than merely beating her.
All she had to do was gently lift Xu Yu'er's hand and let it land on that foolish crown prince's face.
Killing with a borrowed knife—wasn't this perfect?
After finishing everything, Xu Bao'er slipped away happily. She was already looking forward to the show tomorrow.
Of course, this was far from enough. Everything was only the beginning. Xu Bao'er had also planned a huge pot, waiting to dump it on the crown prince's head.
He had shamelessly stolen someone else's credit, like a disgusting parasite.
Fine. You want to steal the credit? Then steal it. Since you want it, take it completely.
The merit from bandit suppression was great, but it also concealed no small amount of deadly danger.
She would use the crown prince as a scapegoat.
From the silent courtyard came one agonized scream after another, each sounding heart-rending.
“Ah, crown prince, spare my life!”
“It truly wasn't done by this concubine.”
“How could this concubine have the... the courage?” Xu Yu'er had been beaten until she could barely speak, one hand clamped tightly over her face.
“Bitch! If you didn't hit me, then who did?”
“I knew long ago that you were restless. Those dog eyes of yours keep watch on Prince Duan so intently. Did you really think I didn't know?”
“You shameless, fickle slut.”
“I intended to show you some mercy, yet you dared to beat my face into this state while I was sleeping.”
“You are courting death!”
The crown prince grabbed Xu Yu'er's hair with one hand and slapped her desperately with the other.
The corners of Xu Yu'er's mouth had been slapped until they bled.
“You filthy woman, a spoiled good-for-nothing rejected by Prince Duan.”
“You went to such lengths to marry me back then. This is your retribution.”
The crown prince did not like Xu Yu'er at all, especially since she had once been engaged to Prince Duan.
In the crown prince's eyes, Prince Duan was nothing more than a dog. Marrying a woman whom even a dog would not marry was an utter humiliation.
If not for the imperial father's decree, the crown prince would have beaten Xu Yu'er to death long ago.
“Don't think I don't know. This so-called substitute marriage was all your scheme.”
“Prince Duan simply didn't understand you. If he had seen the real you, he would have known the truth from back then.”
“Do you really think I am stupid? I have seen countless women. Those tricks of yours are nothing worth mentioning.”
Xu Yu'er's mouth burned with pain, and she hated the crown prince to the core. To this man, beating her was as routine as eating and sleeping.
She had originally thought that as long as she married the honest crown prince and became the crown princess, she could rise above everyone except one person.
If the crown prince was foolish, she could even treat him as a puppet and control the entire country.
Who could have expected that the supposedly honest crown prince would actually be a perverted madman? He not only toyed with women, but secretly toyed with men as well.
Since she could not live well, Prince Duan and the others could forget about living well either.
They owed her all of this.
Everyone knew that the crown prince had beaten the crown princess, but no one dared speak of it.
If word got out, it would cost them their heads.
The crown prince had originally planned to inspect Jiulan Mountain, but he now claimed illness and canceled the plan.
After all, his face, beaten into a pig's head, was utterly unfit to be seen in public.
“A-San, the crown prince is seriously ill. You must stay away from him.”
Song Xingzhi was very worried about Xu Bao'er. He had vaguely heard some of the rumors about the crown prince.
“Did you know? The crown prince's residence secretly keeps some handsome young men.”
“When you saw him before, you deliberately wore a mask. You really did have the foresight.”
“If he sees your face, you will be in danger.”
Watching Xu Bao'er wear a mask all day, Song Xingzhi began secretly gossiping.
“They say the women in the crown prince's residence are merely decorations. The crown prince actually likes men; those women are only there to conceal the truth.”
Xu Bao'er had not expected the crown prince to look ugly and have such varied tastes.
“By the way, where is Luo Qiang?”
Song Xingzhi did not know why Xu Bao'er had suddenly brought up Luo Qiang. That fellow was currently locked up in jail.
“He is undergoing reform in jail and behaving quite honestly.”
Xu Bao'er crooked a finger, signaling Song Xingzhi to come closer.
“Why don't we release him and see whether we can catch Xu Shaofei?”
Although Luo Qiang's rank among the jiulan mountain bandits was not particularly high, the work he handled was extremely important. He was in charge of gathering intelligence and information for Jiulan Mountain.
That was why Luo Qiang had brought a small squad along the information route that time, where he encountered Xu Bao'er.
Luo Qiang was probably one of the very few members of the jiulan mountain bandits who knew about the powerful figure behind Jiulan Mountain.
“Th-that doesn't seem very appropriate.”
Song Xingzhi obeyed their prince's orders closely. Without the prince's consent, especially regarding something this important, he would never act on his own.
“I'm doing this for the prince's sake.” After much persuasion from Xu Bao'er, she finally convinced Song Xingzhi to go with her and release Luo Qiang.
Deep into the night, Zhou Jin's courtyard was exceptionally quiet. A lamp was lit in his study, where he was reading military texts.
Before long, a knock sounded at the door.
A figure outside the window was reflected on the paper window. One glance made it clear that the visitor was a woman.
Zhou Jin ignored it. If Bao'er had come looking for him, she would be wearing men's clothing.
The knocking changed from gentle and unhurried to urgent. Zhou Jin vaguely guessed who was standing outside the door.
It was late at night, with one lone man and one lone woman.
Zhou Jin simply did not respond, to avoid creating further complications. He also knew that the crown prince had brutally beaten the crown princess that morning.
What was strange was that the crown prince's face was also covered in purple and blue bruises. Even if Xu Yu'er had been given a hundred times the courage, she would not have dared strike the crown prince; that crime was punishable by death.
Then who had been killing with a borrowed knife?
Zhou Jin thought of his Bao'er and was suddenly both annoyed and amused. The crown prince appeared honest on the surface, but was not someone to provoke. He was petty and vengeful, and his methods were exceptionally cruel.
With a creak, the door opened.
Zhou Jin had not expected the visitor to obtain the key to the study. The crown princess truly had impressive methods.