Snowflakes continued to fall on his head and body. He reached up to touch his right cheek.
It was swollen and hot.
He didn’t have time to think about his situation. He only worried that the wicked woman might go on a rampage.
Wiping away his tears, he ignored the pain on his face, gripping the cold iron bars and shouting to the guard, “Someone come! I want to see Jiang Shouzhu!”
It’s just about being taken advantage of!
He stopped resisting, only hoping the wicked woman would calm down.
But the guards ignored Ying Wutu’s cries.
Ying Wutu shouted for a long time, his voice growing weaker. He was exhausted.
But she didn’t come.
His hand even stuck to the iron bars. Using his last bit of strength, he tore his hand away and curled up in the corner of the drafty prison cart, clasping his reddened palms together and making a wish to the falling snow: he wished the wicked woman would show mercy and not kill anyone.
As long as she didn’t kill anyone, he was willing to do anything.
——
Jiang Shouzhu couldn’t sleep.
She blamed herself for losing control.
Wasn’t she supposed to wait until his wounds healed a bit before enjoying him?
How did she end up getting on top of him just now?
And in a fit of anger, she kicked him off the bed.
It was fine to give the disobedient little rabbit a lesson, but now she couldn’t help but worry. The little rabbit had so many injuries, a weak body, and was beaten by her. She ordered him to be locked outside; would he freeze to death overnight?
Jiang Shouzhu draped a cloak over herself. As she was about to lift the curtain, she hesitated.
Why should she care?
She looked down at her hand, simply bandaged. There were four small holes where she had been bitten, not deep, and it stopped bleeding after bandaging.
But she still went out.
Just because the little rabbit was her war trophy, he shouldn’t die so easily. She would take a look and return.
No other reason.
Jiang Shouzhu walked to the prisoners’ camp. She saw the little rabbit held in solitary confinement in the prison cart, curled up in a ball.
He seemed to be alive.
He truly was very resilient.
Jiang Shouzhu’s footsteps turned in place. She didn’t approach the prison cart but turned back to her tent.
Before leaving, she instructed the guard, “Keep an eye on him. If he faints, report to me.”
Jiang Shouzhu brushed the snow off herself and returned to her warm tent from the icy outdoors. She lay back on her bed, finding it still warm.
The little rabbit had warmed the bed for her.
Jiang Shouzhu turned over, thinking no man had ever refused her.
Which man in her household didn’t beg to climb into her bed?
Even though she had been impulsive tonight, she now felt an even stronger desire to conquer.
The heavy snow continued falling all night.
When Jiang Shouzhu got up, the snow had piled thick at the tent entrance. Deputy Yan approached with uneven steps.
“General, a carrier pigeon from the capital,” Deputy Yan handed over a small message tube.
Jiang Shouzhu dressed, opened the letter, nodded, and handed it back to Deputy Yan, “Follow His Majesty’s orders.”
In half an hour, the army would set off for the capital.
After breakfast, Jiang Shouzhu walked out of her tent to find the soldiers already dismantling the tents and loading the carts.
With a blank expression, she headed straight to the prison cart where Ying Wutu was held.
Ying Wutu had been freezing all night, developing a high fever. His cheeks and neck were flushed red, but the slap mark on his right cheek was purple.
After all, Jiang Shouzhu’s slap was very strong.
The snow was equally heavy.
With each step, Jiang Shouzhu’s deerskin boots sank deep into the snow, making a crunching sound. When she reached the prison cart, she saw the little rabbit curled up, covered in snow. He must have maintained that position all night.
“Wake up.” Jiang Shouzhu knocked on the bars, her tone indifferent.
“Mm…” Ying Wutu was very dizzy. He knew he was sick but didn’t care about himself. Hearing the familiar voice of the wicked woman, he immediately lifted his head and moved to the bars, reaching out to grab her sleeve, afraid she would walk away.
Jiang Shouzhu stepped back, letting his hand grab empty air.
She noticed the little rabbit’s palm was bleeding.
What had he done?
“Please! I know I was wrong. I really was wrong. I’ll never resist again. You can do whatever you want to me, just don’t take it out on others! I’ll do it now, right here…”
Saying this, Ying Wutu clumsily started to undress, trying to show his loyalty and make up for last night.
“Why so obedient now? Weren’t you disobedient last night?” Jiang Shouzhu noticed he was ill. His voice was weak, and he was anxious, unable to lift his arms properly. He seemed half-dead. It looked like she’d have to get the military doctor to give him some medicine to prevent him from really dying.
“I’ll never disobey you again.” Ying Wutu shivered occasionally. He felt so uncomfortable, he thought he might faint at any moment.
“What a pity…” Jiang Shouzhu smirked wickedly, “Too late. I’ve already ordered 2,000 people to be buried alive as punishment for your disobedience and biting me last night.”
Ying Wutu had just taken off his top, his hands hooked on his pants, not yet pulled down, when he heard the terrible news.
“What… what?” He tried to deny it, hoping he had misheard.
“You heard right. And as for you, I’m not interested right now. You can undress if you want.”
How could Jiang Shouzhu not be interested? The little rabbit’s behavior only made her more interested, but now he was sick. She’d have to wait for him to recover from both his injuries and illness.
Especially with that purple slap mark on his right cheek.
Jiang Shouzhu couldn’t help but pull her hand into her sleeve. Last night, in a fit of anger, she had hit him too hard.
Although the little rabbit bit first, his resistance was trivial. But her own heavy-handedness—she feared she might have killed him with such a blow.
“Ah! You violent wicked woman! I’ll kill you!” Ying Wutu clenched his fist and hit the bars of the prison cart. His hands were already battered, with a finger broken. Hitting the bars wouldn’t achieve anything.
The prison cart rattled, drawing many glances, while Jiang Shouzhu’s face still bore a smile.
Teasing the little rabbit was too much fun.
Ying Wutu barely managed a few hits and curses before his eyes rolled back, and he fainted.
Jiang Shouzhu’s smile disappeared, and she immediately called out, “Fetch the military doctor!”
Deputy General Yan had already summoned the military doctor, waiting for the general to finish her fun.
The prison cart’s door opened, and the doctor went in to examine him, quickly returning to say, “This one has caught a cold and fainted from a fit of anger. General, should we treat him?”
“Of course, treat him with the best medicine,” Jiang Shouzhu ordered.
The doctor brewed the medicine just in time before the army set off. She brought the bowl to the prison cart but found the prisoner missing. Looking around, she saw the general’s carriage and saw the general stepping out of it. She gave the general an inquiring look.
Jiang Shouzhu took the bowl of medicine and got back into the carriage.
Ying Wutu was lying inside.
Since her carriage was warm, leaving the little rabbit in the drafty prison cart would have frozen him to death before the medicine was ready.
Jiang Shouzhu pried open Ying Wutu’s mouth and forcefully poured the medicine down his throat.
After being given the medicine, Ying Wutu continued to lie in the carriage, unconscious.
At this moment, Deputy General Yan called from outside the carriage, “General, everything is ready.”
“Set off!”
The army returning to the capital consisted of only fifty thousand soldiers, with another fifty thousand stationed in the northern desert per His Majesty’s orders received via carrier pigeon this morning. So Jiang Shouzhu left behind two thousand Ying Kingdom prisoners to be slaves with the armored troops, not taking them back to the capital.
But she deliberately lied to Ying Wutu, saying those two thousand people were buried alive.
She just wanted to see him grit his teeth and get angry.
After all, teasing the little rabbit was too much fun.
