As Zhan Lue ate, he glanced sideways and noticed Xian Sheng’s expression. Falling into deep thought for a while, he smiled and said, “Did I behave well recently? Have you stopped being angry?”
Xian Sheng said gloomily, “No. I’m still angry.”
“Ladies in the brothels are fond of saying the opposite of what they think. They’d claim to not like it, but whenever they see me there, they’d secretly be elated.”
Xian Sheng’s face turned cold. “Are you comparing me to the ladies there?”
“No,” consoled Zhan Lue. “I’m just giving a random example. Jiang Qin had told me that women usually do not speak their minds.”
Xian Sheng remained silent and Zhan Lue did not know if he was angry or not. Zhan Lue seemed to catch onto something. “Look at you. You still say that you’re not weird. If other wives heard that their husbands went to the brothels, their focus would be on when they went, and why…”
His voice faded, his brows knitted tightly together and he began to lose his appetite.
When he mentioned the brothel casually, Xian Sheng was actually… not jealous at all?
After being reminded by Zhan Lue, Xian Sheng was about to ask him about it when Zhan Lue suddenly placed his chopsticks down, grabbed his coat and hat, and walked briskly out.
Xian Sheng was speechless. “…”
He chased after him to the entrance and pretended to say, “If you are going there, don’t come back anymore.”
After shouting, he turned around and walked back, thinking that he had indeed revealed quite a few loopholes earlier. He was the Princess of Liang, and Zhan Lue’s official wife. Furthermore, due to his special physique since childhood, it was impossible to tell if he was a man or a woman by taking his pulse. In this short period of time, Zhan Lue had no way to suspect his gender.
Xian Sheng became serious and thought that he must not reveal any loopholes again.
After hearing Xian Sheng’s yell, the unhappiness in Zhan Lue’s heart dissipated for a short while. However, when he stopped in his tracks and looked back, Xian Sheng had already disappeared from the entrance. It looked like he went back into the room right after shouting. He was just putting on a show.
Fury started to rise in his chest. With a cold expression, he strode out of the palace and jumped onto his horse. Pulling on the reins, he galloped out rapidly.
He appeared at the Jiang Mansion in the evening. The Wu An General hurriedly sent someone to look for Jiang Qin, exclaiming, “You’re really lucky to be favoured by the Crown Prince. Go quickly and have a look. The Crown Prince’s expression is really serious today. He must have an important task for you. Even if you have to cross mountains of knives and dive into seas of fire, you must accomplish it for him.”
Jiang Qin always thought that he was not his real son. He was just an object to win the royalty’s favour.
As Jiang Qin walked out of the door, he greeted Zhan Lue and said, “Today, the Crown Prince…”
Zhan Lue said, “To the brothel.”
Jiang Qin’s attitude immediately changed. “You don’t even sleep with women. Why are you going to the brothel? I’m already old enough to marry. My father said that I should change my habits and take care of my body…”
A voice came from behind the door. The General said in a deep voice, “The Crown Prince must have official matters to attend to at the brothel. Go with him quickly. If there’s a girl whom he wants to sleep with, you… can take her place.”
Jiang Qin was speechless. “…”
He did not believe that Zhan Lue had official matters to attend to!
Indeed, when they arrived at the brothel, he only ordered wine and a few dishes. The girls were playing a tune behind the curtains. Holding the wine cup, Zhan Lue fell silent for a while before asking, “If there’s a woman who does not want to sleep with you no matter what, what would you do?”
Jiang Qin’s eyes glittered with an ill-intention. “You still haven’t slept with the princess?”
Zhan Lue’s expression remained unchanged. “The princess had already married me. How can I let go of her so easily? I’m talking about women who feel unconfident because of their bodies.”
Jiang Qin was still bitter when his father told him to take the woman’s place earlier. Hence, he started to come up with ideas. “Since she’s unconfident because of her figure, then can’t you praise her more?”
“I haven’t even seen it. How can I praise her?”
Jiang Qin expected this question. He said, “Isn’t this simple? If you accidentally bump into her when she’s bathing… Amidst the confusion, you can cover your eyes and pretend to be a gentleman, while praising her smooth skin and divine beauty. This will let her put her guard down…”
He rubbed his palms together—
“Emotionally and rationally, she won’t be able to escape.”
“Why must I pretend to be a gentleman?” Zhan Lue fell into deep thought. As he imagined that scene, he felt that it was feasible. Hence, he lifted his wine cup and toasted Jiang Qin, admitting honestly, “I’m not even much of a gentleman myself.”