Xiao Shao carried Jiang Ruan all the way back to Prince Jinying’s residence. Steward Lin was carefully examining account books, holding a pair of imported goods that the Imperial Guards had delivered yesterday—a novelty from overseas consisting of two thick glass lenses that, when worn over the eyes, made reading much clearer. Seeing Xiao Shao return, Steward Lin instinctively stood up. When he clearly saw Xiao Shao carrying a woman in his arms, it was like being struck by lightning—he stood dumbfounded in the wind, unable to say a word.

After Xiao Shao took a few steps to his room, kicked open the door, and closed it behind him, Steward Lin finally came to his senses. He saw a familiar figure drop from the air and quickly grabbed Jin San, “Jin San, what’s going on with the Prince? Who was that?”

Among the Imperial Guards, Jin Yi and Jin Er were twin brothers, while Jin San and Jin Si were twin sisters. These four were Xiao Shao’s personal shadow guards and minor leaders among the Imperial Guards. Whenever Steward Lin wanted to gather information, he liked to approach these four.

Jin San shrugged, “The young lady, Old Lin. Don’t say I didn’t warn you—serve the young lady well these few days. Master gave me other tasks, so you handle things for now.”

After walking a few steps, Jin San returned to remind him, “Oh right, the young lady was drugged with an aphrodisiac. Old Lin, don’t randomly go in to look, or Master will be furious.”

Long after Jin San left, Steward Lin still stood there in a daze, his little mustache twitching. Young lady… aphrodisiac… furious…

Steward Lin was so excited he cried tears of joy, “Young Master finally has an heir!”

…

While Steward Lin outside grinned so widely his teeth couldn’t be seen, Xiao Shao inside the room was somewhat at a loss. He had just applied medicine to Jiang Ruan and bandaged the wound on her arm. But then the drug took effect, and she began writhing restlessly on the bed. Xiao Shao had wanted to press her sleep acupoint, but the drug was too potent. Having some medical knowledge, he feared harming her body. Thinking that Xuan You had dared to give Jiang Ruan such a strong dose, his eyes instantly turned cold with dark fury.

Jiang Ruan lay across Xiao Shao’s bed, quickly kicking off the blanket he had covered her with. Perhaps because her body was too hot, she unconsciously tugged at her collar. Xiao Shao had just turned to get a cool, damp cloth to wipe her forehead when he turned back to see a large expanse of snow-white skin. The skin was lustrous as snow. Xiao Shao froze for a moment, then hurried to find the thin blanket to cover Jiang Ruan again.

But just as he had covered her with the blanket, Jiang Ruan grabbed his hand. Surprisingly strong under the drug’s influence, she caught Xiao Shao off guard and pulled him so he stumbled, nearly falling on top of her. He instinctively extended one hand to brace himself beside her head.

Jiang Ruan suddenly opened her eyes, staring unblinkingly at Xiao Shao. Her eyes were naturally beautiful, and now under the drug’s control, they held a seductive allure. Though Xiao Shao had seen countless beauties in his life, being looked at like this by Jiang Ruan today actually made his heart beat faster, and a slight blush appeared on his handsome face. Thinking she had regained consciousness, he said softly, “Jiang Ruan.”

Jiang Ruan just stared at him fixedly. After a while, her eyes became hazy again. Just as Xiao Shao was about to speak, Jiang Ruan suddenly stretched out both arms, wrapped them around his neck, and pulled him down forcefully.

Now Xiao Shao was truly at a loss.

His lips touched something soft and warm—unlike her cold exterior, it was as fragrant as a flower. Xiao Shao’s long lashes lowered as his dark eyes gazed at the girl who had clearly lost her senses.

“Demon…” Jiang Ruan loosened her grip slightly and mumbled unclearly.

Xiao Shao raised an eyebrow. Was she referring to him?

Jiang Ruan obviously didn’t know who she was with at this moment, murmuring, “You’re so cool.” She kept burrowing into Xiao Shao’s embrace. Xiao Shao felt somewhat helpless—it was one thing for Jiang Ruan to cling to him, but why was she also tugging at his belt?

The usually composed young man was quite disheveled. Xiao Shao held onto his belt with one hand while watching Jiang Ruan try to press herself against him, feeling rather helpless. How different people became before and after being drugged! Why hadn’t Jin San returned yet?

Outside, Steward Lin risked his life to peek through the flower window, his face flushed red. He was both impressed by the future young lady’s bold spirit and worried about his young master’s overly gentlemanly behavior. The young lady was being so forward, yet as a man, the young master should boldly take action! Steward Lin shook his head and sighed—his young master was good in every way, just too virtuous. If this were any other man, he would have long since become the antidote himself.

…

In the pleasure quarter’s finest establishment, Baihua House was the most exquisite. Not only were the girls of various types beautiful and clever, they were all worldly, so officials and nobles were happy to patronize them. Today, however, a special guest arrived.

This guest wore a long robe and blue cloth shoes, with hair tied high—clearly male attire, yet at a glance, obviously a woman. The madam’s eyes were sharp; she immediately saw that this woman moved with natural grace, had lovely features, and though her clothes appeared simple, the fabric was expensive rain brocade silk. Though it was odd for a woman to enter a brothel, she still approached, saying, “Miss, what would you like at our Baihua House?”

Jin San glanced at the madam, “I hear Baihua House is well-informed. Do you know of ‘Spring Crossing’?”

The madam’s expression changed, and she couldn’t help examining Jin San carefully. After thinking, she cautiously asked, “Why does Miss inquire about Spring Crossing?”

“A friend of mine accidentally took Spring Crossing. Surely Baihua House, being the capital’s largest den of beauties, wouldn’t be ignorant of such things?”

During his youth, Xiao Shao had traveled far and wide. Having someone examine the cup Jiang Ruan had drunk from, he detected something resembling Spring Crossing he’d encountered before. Though he studied pharmacology, he had no research into aphrodisiacs and naturally didn’t know the antidote. The Baihua House madam would certainly have a solution, so he sent Jin San to inquire.

The madam smiled, “I won’t hide it from you, Miss. Spring Crossing is the finest among aphrodisiacs, extremely potent. Anyone fed Spring Crossing who doesn’t engage in intimate relations within three hours will die from the poison. Rather than calling it an aphrodisiac, it’s more like poison.” The madam smiled obsequiously, “I say, Miss, if your friend still has time, just find someone to pleasure them.”

“If it were that simple, why would I come to you?” Jin San grew impatient. “I have urgent matters at hand—Madam had better quickly produce the antidote.”

The madam looked troubled, “Miss, it’s not that I won’t give you the antidote, but Spring Crossing’s antidote is extremely rare. No one has ever sought an antidote before, so this…”

“Ten thousand taels,” Jin San said.

“Miss, this really is…”

“Gold.”

The madam closed her mouth, her expression immediately blooming like a flower, smiling, “I’ll have someone fetch the antidote right away.” Though the person before her seemed like a sucker—who would spend ten thousand taels of gold for an aphrodisiac antidote? Whose chastity could be worth so much? Even Baihua House’s top courtesan rarely met a patron willing to pay ten thousand taels of gold for one night.

Seeing the madam’s expression, Jin San knew what she was thinking and grumbled inwardly—the young lady was indeed more valuable than Baihua House’s top courtesan for one night. Bah! What was she saying? The young lady was pure and chaste—how could she be compared to a courtesan?

…

When Jin San returned with the antidote, she was shocked to see Xiao Shao’s condition. His face was flushed, his usually cold features nearly cracking, sitting rigidly beside the bed with something suspicious moving slightly under his black robes.

Jin San covered her nose—anyone seeing this scene would feel their blood surge. Xiao Shao expressionlessly took the antidote from Jin San and said, “Get out.”

As Jin San left, she felt conflicted—had she done good or bad? Who would have thought their usually cool and aloof master could be so passionate? What had the young lady been doing under their master’s clothes just now? Having given the antidote to their master, would he hold a grudge over this matter in the future?

The more Jin San thought about it, the more uneasy she became, deciding to find Jin Si to discuss today’s events. This left only Steward Lin outside, beating his chest and stamping his feet, still crying—this time from anxiety.

Master, do you know how much money you spent on that antidote? Such extravagance! Don’t you know a person is the best antidote? If the master and mistress in heaven saw this, how angry they’d be.

Xiao Shao was supporting Jiang Ruan’s head, feeding her the medicine. Looking down at the person in his arms, his earlier embarrassment faded, and he was now quite serious. With such commotion outside, he wasn’t deaf. Regarding the matter of a person being the antidote, even if Jiang Ruan didn’t mind such things, he wouldn’t take advantage of someone in distress. He had never even considered such a thing. Even now, with these subtle feelings for Jiang Ruan in his heart, they arose from emotion but stopped at propriety. In certain respects, though Xiao Shao had traveled extensively in his youth and seen much of such matters, when it came to himself, he was a blank slate. In Old Lin’s words, he was too much of a gentleman.

…

After one night, nearly everyone in Prince Jinying’s residence hadn’t slept well, including the Imperial Guards—the former from excitement, the latter from being busy. The residence’s servants were all quietly discussing whether they were about to gain a new mistress. However, the servants under Steward Lin’s management were all specially trained and tight-lipped, so word didn’t spread. Otherwise, Jiang Ruan’s reputation would have been greatly affected.

When Jiang Ruan woke up, she felt terribly sore all over. Rubbing her head as she sat up, she happened to see a beautiful maid tidying things on the table. Seeing her awake, the maid approached with concern, “Is Miss Jiang feeling better?”

Looking at the maid before her, Jiang Ruan noticed something strange in her gaze—a hint of subtle amusement, overly warm. Puzzled but maintaining a smile, she asked, “I’m fine. Where is this place?”

“Prince Jinying’s residence,” the maid smiled even more sweetly. “Yesterday the Prince brought you back and cared for you all night, only going out just now.” The maid looked at the medicine bowl on the table, picked it up, and brought it to Jiang Ruan’s lips, “Now that you’re awake, please drink the medicine.”

As if to confirm her words, Xiao Shao entered from outside. Seeing the maid about to feed Jiang Ruan medicine, he said, “Get out. I’ll feed her.”

The maid smiled mischievously, covered her mouth, and left the room, thoughtfully closing the door behind her. Looking at Xiao Shao, Jiang Ruan’s mind flashed with scattered images. She naturally knew she had been drugged with a powerful aphrodisiac yesterday, though she couldn’t remember many details—only that Xiao Shao had rescued her from Xuan You. Xiao Shao wouldn’t take advantage of someone in distress; Jiang Ruan was clear about this. What worried her was whether she had done anything inappropriate to Xiao Shao under the drug’s influence. Thinking of this, Jiang Ruan felt a headache—why did things always turn upside down when it came to her?

Xiao Shao sat beside the bed and naturally picked up the medicine bowl from the table. When Jiang Ruan tried to reach for it, her arm hurt terribly. Looking down, she saw white bandages wrapped around her arm and remembered yesterday’s wound. She instinctively felt for the dagger that never left her side, searching for a moment before realizing it had been lost somewhere.

Xiao Shao pulled something from his waist and placed it before her, “Looking for this?”

It was indeed that delicate dagger. Jiang Ruan grasped it with one hand and looked up to meet Xiao Shao’s starlike eyes. She was momentarily stunned before Xiao Shao lowered his head and silently spooned medicine to her lips with a silver spoon.

Since her hand was inconvenient, she didn’t act coyly and obediently drank the medicine Xiao Shao fed her. Their bodies were close enough that she could smell Xiao Shao’s pleasant, clean scent. For a moment, Jiang Ruan felt somewhat dazed.

After finishing the entire bowl of medicine, Xiao Shao took some colorful, cute sugar pills from a nearby bowl and offered them to Jiang Ruan. The pills were brightly colored and adorable, leaving Jiang Ruan momentarily stunned. Xiao Shao explained, “Eating these will eliminate the bitterness.”

Jiang Ruan: “…”

She wasn’t a three-year-old child—why was Xiao Shao using that tone of coaxing children? What was with that serious expression? But unable to refuse such kindness, facing those dark, starlike eyes, Jiang Ruan couldn’t even voice a refusal. Only after putting the sugar pills in her mouth did she realize—how long had it been since she’d eaten such things in either life? Even medicine was a luxury, let alone these sugar pills that only carefully cherished people were entitled to eat. Feeling that eating such things somewhat damaged her current mature image, Jiang Ruan glanced at Xiao Shao and thought: Demon!

Xiao Shao raised an eyebrow, observing Jiang Ruan’s reaction with interest. After thinking, he said, “Last night you took Spring Crossing.”

Hearing “Spring Crossing,” she immediately knew what it was. Jiang Ruan looked at Xiao Shao suspiciously, feeling somewhat uneasy, and tentatively asked, “Did I do anything inappropriate to you?”

“No,” Xiao Shao replied.

Jiang Ruan was just breathing a sigh of relief when she heard Xiao Shao’s steady voice continue, “You only knocked me down, tugged at my belt, and held onto me without letting go.”

Jiang Ruan was dumbfounded, especially since Xiao Shao maintained his serious, cool expression—anyone seeing him wouldn’t think he was joking.

“You’re a man—I’m the one who suffered a loss,” Jiang Ruan emphasized.

Xiao Shao thought for a moment and nodded, “Mm.”

Fearing Xiao Shao would continue this embarrassing topic, Jiang Ruan quickly changed the subject, asking, “Do you know who schemed against me last night?”

Hearing this matter, Xiao Shao’s eyes also turned cold, “I know.” Looking at Jiang Ruan, whose expression was indifferent, he said thoughtfully, “You know too?”

Jiang Ruan’s expression suggested she already knew who was behind it. “Don’t you know as well?” she replied.

Xiao Shao fell silent. The Imperial Guards’ status meant they gathered intelligence fastest in the capital. Learning of Consort Chen’s involvement, beyond anger, Xiao Shao felt surprise. Even with Jiang Ruan’s current special status, Consort Chen shouldn’t use such methods to humiliate her. If Consort Chen were smart, she should learn to develop Jiang Ruan’s influence for her own use, never using the worst methods that would essentially ruin Jiang Ruan’s entire life. If he had arrived even slightly later last night, Jiang Ruan would have faced inevitable disaster.

“Since Consort Chen has schemed against me like this, how can I not return a grand gift?” Jiang Ruan’s brows carried coldness. The path of revenge must be walked step by step, but since Consort Chen had taken the initiative, how could she sit and wait for death?

“I’ll help you,” Xiao Shao said. Just one sentence made clear his position.

Jiang Ruan looked at him, “You have nothing to do with this matter—why get involved?” Actually, privately, having Xiao Shao was like having a life-saving charm by her side, making many future actions much more convenient. Speaking of borrowing influence, the protection Xiao Shao could provide far exceeded what Liu Min could offer. But the more she owed, the more uneasy she felt. The hardest debt to repay in the world was human kindness. This person was fundamentally loyal and righteous—a rare true gentleman in the world, just usually too reticent.

“I took liberties with you, so I should naturally compensate,” Xiao Shao looked at her seriously and said.

Jiang Ruan: “…” She must have been blind to think this person was reticent!

With a “bang,” the door was pushed open from outside, and a crowd of eavesdroppers all tumbled in a heap. Xiao Shao frowned. Steward Lin was first to stand up, cleared his throat, and said seriously, “Your Highness, the ten thousand taels of gold spent on Miss Jiang’s medicine last night has been recorded in the accounts. Would Your Highness like to review it?”

“No need.”

Jiang Ruan looked at Xiao Shao in shock, “Ten thousand taels?”

Jin Si, hiding behind Steward Lin, “kindly” reminded Jiang Ruan, “Didn’t Miss take Spring Crossing last night? The Prince spent ten thousand taels of gold to buy an antidote from Baihua House.”

Xiao Shao frowned again—too talkative. When had he ever concerned himself with such monetary accounts? Yet today they all came here.

Baihua House was a place where money flowed like water! Having experienced Jiang Chao’s affairs, Jiang Ruan knew courtesans were expensive, but she hadn’t known even aphrodisiac antidotes were so costly. Ten thousand taels of gold—very well, now she owed even more.

Steward Lin felt quite satisfied—good that the young lady knew how much debt she owed. If she had no money, she could repay with herself!

Jin Si looked at her master’s slightly displeased expression and couldn’t help but cover her forehead. How could their master be so dense? Speaking of such generous spending for her sake would move any girl’s heart!

The two people in the room didn’t know the others’ complex thoughts. One had a strange expression, the other frowned slightly. The former blamed the brothel for being increasingly unscrupulous and herself for owing debts she could never repay in a lifetime. The latter thought there were too many people in the room—so noisy, having nothing to do with romance.