Could the little rabbit really be this naive?
Was this really the cunning little rabbit she had sparred with on the battlefield?
“I won’t drink,” Jiang Shouzhu, not drunk, wanted to wait for the little rabbit to sober up.
She was very much looking forward to it.
“Then I’ll drink it myself.” Ying Wutu held the bowl, bringing his red lips close to the rim, only to pull away quickly with a “hiss”—he had burned himself.
Jiang Shouzhu laughed out loud.
Seeing his clumsy behavior, it was hard to reconcile this with the cunning opponent on the battlefield.
“You’re laughing at me…” Ying Wutu puffed his cheeks and blew on the soup, muttering pitifully.
“Alright, I won’t laugh.” Jiang Shouzhu tried to appear serious, but she couldn’t hide her amusement. Outside, she never showed her emotions, and no one could read her face, so why was it now that she couldn’t help but laugh?
Because he was truly a bit cute, making her want to “care for” him.
Ying Wutu blew the soup cool and gulped it all down.
After drinking, he sighed, as if he had tasted some fine wine.
Yet, he was clearly a lightweight.
“Delicious! So sweet… My stomach feels much better now. The wicked woman didn’t feed me, but you gave me sweet soup! I’m a grateful person, you know. In the old days, they said ‘a meal is worth a thousand pieces of gold,’ but I don’t have much to repay you with now. When I can, I will definitely repay the favor of this soup.”
Saying this, Ying Wutu clasped his hands in a martial salute, like some hero from the martial arts world.
Jiang Shouzhu laughed so hard she almost couldn’t stay seated. “A meal worth a thousand pieces of gold? Hahaha…”
Ying Wutu blinked innocently, still wondering why she was laughing so much. When he heard her words, he seemed to unconsciously mutter to himself, “A meal worth a thousand pieces of gold… A word worth a thousand pieces of gold… A stroke… A thousand people? Who said this to me? Who was it?”
He patted his head, racking his brain to recall and connect these memories.
“Take your time. I’m not in a hurry. After all… the night is still long,” Jiang Shouzhu said patiently. She was always patient, especially with those who interested her, making her even more willing to wait.
But the sobering soup quickly took effect.
Ying Wutu’s drunkenness faded, and his eyes changed from clear innocence to… panic.
“You…”
Ying Wutu had been sitting on the carpet, the empty bowl beside him. When he realized what was happening, he couldn’t stop shivering. He knocked over the bowl and scrambled backward with his hands and feet.
He tried to hide behind the bed, but the chain around his neck limited his movement. Where could he hide?
“Now you remember who the wicked woman is?”
Jiang Shouzhu stood up and walked towards him step by step. With each step she took, Ying Wutu trembled more.
Ying Wutu knew he was done for. Not only had he badmouthed the wicked woman, but he had also revealed his plan to assassinate her with the hidden silver hairpin.
Jiang Shouzhu reached him, squatting down to look at him. Seeing him trembling, she smiled and said, “You just said you would repay the favor of a meal. You haven’t forgotten, have you?”
Ying Wutu pressed his lips tightly together, too scared to speak.
Although he had been too drunk to recognize the wicked woman earlier, it was because she hadn’t bullied him that he had mistaken her.
Now, remembering his foolish actions and words, he felt both ashamed and afraid.
Ashamed because he had shown his vulnerable side.
Why had he praised her looks with such admiration?
Afraid because he feared the torment she would inflict on him.
The wicked woman was still the wicked woman!
Thinking of this, his wounds began to hurt again. The worst pain wasn’t from his broken pinky or the cut on his chest, but from the “Jiang” character on his chest.
He had scratched it open, but now it had scabbed over, and it hurt the most.
The pain made him want to groan, but he bit his lip to hold it in.
“Why so silent now? Isn’t General Ying the most grateful? What? Regretting it?” Jiang Shouzhu’s large hand pinched his cheek, forcing him to look up at her.
She saw his tear-filled eyes trembling with fear.
At this moment, Jiang Shouzhu felt a strange thought arise in her heart.
The little rabbit was her old enemy, her defeated opponent. Seeing such an expression on a defeated opponent’s face should bring her joy of victory, but why did she feel a desire to cherish him?
As if… she wanted to be tender?
She recalled her previous dreams, but those dreams were all about forceful conquest, not tender affection.
“Am I that fierce?” Jiang Shouzhu hid her strange thoughts, released her grip, and took out a silver hairpin from her bosom, continuing, “Didn’t you want to assassinate me? Go ahead.”
Ying Wutu looked at the silver hairpin handed to him, not daring to take it, knowing full well that the wicked woman wouldn’t let go. This was clearly a test.
It wasn’t even a test; it was outright teasing!
Just like teasing a kitten or puppy!
“Not coming? Then you’ll miss your chance, and I’ll have to do it myself.” Jiang Shouzhu grabbed the iron chain around Ying Wutu’s neck, lifting him like an object and pulling him close.
Ying Wutu’s breath caught, and he closed his eyes in fear.
As he closed his eyes, Jiang Shouzhu’s heart skipped a beat.
How strange, why did seeing the little rabbit close his eyes make her want to kiss him?
This was truly bizarre.
Of course, she restrained herself from kissing him. She pushed him to the ground, pinning him down and straddling him.
Ying Wutu, who had been pressing his lips together, couldn’t hold back a cry.
“No… no…” Ying Wutu murmured.
“No what? What do you think I’m going to do?” Jiang Shouzhu teased him with an ambiguous tone.
Ying Wutu stopped shouting, closed his eyes, and bit his lip.
He knew this day would come.
He could only endure it.
He couldn’t refuse.
“What did I say during the day? You didn’t show me what I wanted to see, so tonight you’ll have a hard time. Are you ready now?” As Jiang Shouzhu spoke, she swiftly stripped the little rabbit’s clothes.
Revealing his scarred body.
The knife wound on his chest had healed significantly, and the bruises on his waist and legs had faded, but…
Jiang Shouzhu immediately noticed the “Jiang” character she had carved. Why was it marred?
“What happened?” Jiang Shouzhu asked, knowing full well it was scratched with nails.
The little rabbit was truly disobedient, always making her angry.
So, a disobedient little rabbit needed to be taught a lesson.
Ying Wutu didn’t answer, his whole body tense like a tightly wound string, ready to snap at any moment.
“Speak.” Jiang Shouzhu said, touching his waist.
Ying Wutu felt as if struck by lightning, his whole body tingling. He couldn’t help but let out a groan and opened his eyes.
“It was… accidentally scratched,” Ying Wutu found an excuse.
“Daring to ruin my mark, you have quite the nerve. Doing it but not admitting it? Looks like I’ll have to make another mark,” Jiang Shouzhu said, taking out the silver hairpin and gripping Ying Wutu with her other hand.
Ying Wutu was startled.
“Ah—”
Previously too scared to struggle, Ying Wutu now twisted and turned.
He was terrified and wanted to escape, but he was pinned down, unable to get up.
He had thought the wicked woman would force herself on him tonight, but when she took out that thing and did this, he knew what she intended.
Having mingled in the military camp, he had occasionally heard women talk about how they played with their husbands at home. He had heard about this and felt pain just listening. Now, it was his turn.
“Move again, and you’ll be the one getting hurt,” Jiang Shouzhu threatened, though she didn’t actually want to hurt him.
Ying Wutu couldn’t struggle, couldn’t resist, and begging for mercy was useless.
He couldn’t hold back his tears, crying silently with his lips pressed together.
“Does it hurt that much? It’s done.”
Jiang Shouzhu was always efficient. She clapped her hands, satisfied with her work.
Ying Wutu felt unprecedented humiliation and pain, worse than kneeling on the battlefield, worse than being beaten.
He even wanted to reach out and pull it out…
But his wrist was grabbed.
“If you dare take this mark out, you know what I’ll do,” Jiang Shouzhu said, then released him, standing up and looking down at him.
Ying Wutu indeed didn’t dare.
He was forever at her mercy.
But the sorrow and grievance in his heart made him cry out loud.
He had never cried so loudly before.
Jiang Shouzhu scratched her head and muttered, “Does it really hurt that much? I didn’t even force myself on you.”
He was acting as if she did something to him
She had played with her household’s servants too, and they all laughed happily. Was it because Ying Wutu had been pretending to be a woman for so long that he was different from ordinary men?
He didn’t seem that different.
“Crying occasionally adds to the fun, but crying this loudly is too noisy. I’ll count to three. If you don’t stop, I’ll add another”, Jiang Shouzhu didn’t know how to comfort a man crying like this; she only knew how to threaten.
“Whimper… I won’t cry anymore… whimper…”
Ying Wutu feared her words. Knowing the wicked woman meant what she said, he bit his lip to stop crying, but his body kept shaking.
“Is it that cold? Put your clothes on”, Jiang Shouzhu’s tent was warm, she couldn’t understand why he was shaking like this.
Ying Wutu trembled as he sat up, fumbling to put on his clothes, carefully avoiding the sore spot. Whenever his clothes brushed against it, he shook more violently, almost falling over.
“You’re pretending”, Jiang Shouzhu scoffed.
Ying Wutu couldn’t explain it. He wasn’t pretending, and he wasn’t cold. It was a feeling he had never experienced before.
The same feeling he had when scratching the “Jiang” character with his nails.
It was physical pain, but the sensation in his heart was strange.
He curled his legs, burying his tear-stained face in his knees, curling up into a ball. Having cried so hard, his body still shook occasionally.
Each tremor brought that feeling back.
He felt even more humiliated
