When he heard the name Zu An, Zhao Ruizhi’s body couldn't help but tremble. When he recalled how Zu An had beaten him down viciously, he cowered. Still, he was used to throwing his weight around. Leaving just like that was a bit too humiliating. He craned his neck and asked, “Can I not even return to my own wife’s palace?”
Rong Mo was stunned. The current situation did seem to be a bit strange…
The crown princess and another man are staying in a room alone, while the husband is being stopped outside…
Still, she immediately gathered her thoughts and said, “Forgive me, crown prince. The crown princess really is discussing extremely important matters with Sir Zu. Once they are finished, this servant will definitely notify the crown prince immediately.”
The crown princess really did have vital information to receive from Zu An. That was related to the crown prince’s ascension to the throne, so nothing could be more important. But how could she possibly know that they weren’t discussing those things at all, but rather exchanging their pa.s.sion?
Zhao Ruizhi was only saying those words out of pride, anyway. There was no way he would dare to really go inside to confront Bi Linglong about being upset with Zu An. Just then, however, a maid pa.s.sed by with a cage. When he saw it, he was immediately distracted. He quickly ran over and said, “These two little rabbits are so cute. Hurry and take them out so this crown prince can play with them!”
The lesser maid immediately looked troubled. She said, “Crown prince, these are the crown princess’ most beloved bunnies. No one else is allowed to touch them!”
Zhao Ruizhi replied unhappily “Not even this crown prince can play with them? I clearly saw Sir Zu touching them before, but you guys never said anything back then!”
“Sir Zu is more gentle…” the lesser maid said resentfully. “The crown princess said before that no little creature would live for longer than a day in the crown prince’s hands, so the crown prince could not be allowed to touch them.”
“Nonsense! That katydid only died after two days!” Zhao Ruizhi immediately retorted.
He reached out his hand to try and take it, but the lesser maid protected the cage tightly. She knew that she could end up in danger herself if she allowed the crown princess’ precious pets to be harmed. She said, “Crown prince, please don’t trouble this humble servant anymore. How about you ask the crown princess first and see if she lets you touch them?”
When he recalled Bi Linglong’s dignified appearance, Zhao Ruizhi shivered. He knew she hated him holding up her time for trivial matters the most and naturally didn’t dare.
“Forget it, forget it, I won’t touch them anymore, okay?” Zhao Ruizhi replied reluctantly. “I can just watch you play with them and not touch them, right?” Even if he couldn't touch them, just watching was still pretty good.
“Huh?” the lesser maid exclaimed, stunned. She had never expected him to come up with that kind of proposal. Just how did his brain work?
Just then, Rong Mo said helplessly, “Just take them out for him to take a look. Let him be happy for a bit.”
The crown prince had just gotten the cold shoulder a moment before. If he was refused again, he would likely just throw a huge tantrum.
A tantrum from this devil incarnate really would be a huge headache.
When the maid heard that, she carefully undid the lock on the cage and brought out the two snow-white rabbits. She gently carried the rabbits while asking, “Crown prince, how do you want this servant to play with them?”
“The bunnies are so cute!” Zhao Ruizhi exclaimed. He had already coveted these pets of Bi Linglong for a very long time. She was chatting with Zu An right now, so how could he not have some proper fun? He suggested, “How about you rub and knead them for me?”
The maid was confused, but she still did it. She asked, “Like this?”
Zhao Ruizhi was a bit dissatisfied. He replied, “Did you not eat today? Use some strength; knead them with a bit more strength.”
The maid was a bit troubled. She said, “They’ll be injured if I use any more strength.”
Zhao Ruizhi harrumphed. “How could they be hurt that easily? If you don’t dare, let me do it.”
The maid exclaimed in horror “This servant will do it!”
The people in the Eastern Palace all knew that the crown prince loved toying with such little creatures the most. If he didn’t use knives to cut off their legs one by one, he used candles to roast them. The little creatures ended up in more pain and suffering the more they struggled, while he only got more and more excited. He had even found a new way to play not too long ago, which was to crush frogs. He would crush the slimy frogs in his hands until they exploded. He liked the feeling of guts everywhere, so he told his subordinates to catch frogs for him from the garden. As a result, there were almost no frog croaks left in the Imperial Palace.
The staff had all been alarmed, but there was no way they could report such a trivial matter to the crown princess. After all, the crown prince was the future emperor, while they were husband and wife. If they reported such small matters, not only would they not receive any benefits, they would easily incur the crown prince’s resentment. Anyone who survived more than three months in the palace had already learned how to put their own safety before matters of principle.
Don’t tell me the crown prince wants to play with these rabbits the way he crushes those frogs?
How could the maid possibly dare to let him touch them? If he accidentally crushed them out of excitement, her own head would follow. She could only do as he said while doing her best to control her strength.
“You’re being too boring. Don’t just knead and rub them, use your strength to knead them,” Zhao Ruizhi said. He was getting more and more worked up from watching, itching to do it himself.
The maid wouldn’t dare to give him the chance. She blocked him with her body while doing as he said, asking, “Crown prince, like this?”
“Yeah, that’s more like it! Use more strength,” Zhao Ruizhi said. When he saw these bunnies that Bi Linglong normally treasured kneaded into all kinds of shapes in the hands of another, he felt a sort of forbidden joy.
You guys are normally so treasured by her that I can’t even touch you. Now’s a good time to properly torment you guys a bit.
After watching for a while, however, he was a bit dissatisfied. He said, “Just this alone isn’t enough. Lick them as hard as you can.”
The lesser maid was stunned.
What kind of weird request is this?
When he saw the maid and Rong Mo’s strange expressions, Zhao Ruizhi said proudly, “The books I read said that rabbits bite when they're scared. This crown prince wants to test to see if that’s true or not! After kneading them like this, you’ll lick them until their bodies are covered in saliva. Try to provoke them as much as possible and see if they’ll bite you.”
The lesser maid was about to cry. She said, “Crown prince, if I cover the crown princess’ pet all over in saliva, the crown princess will have me flogged to death!”
Just what kind of freakish request was this? She finally knew why the lesser maids and eunuchs in the Eastern Palace were always being changed. The crown prince always came up with increasingly unreasonable demands. How could they endure his craziness?
Zhao Ruizhi scowled and said, “You’re scared of the crown princess, but are you not scared that I’ll have you beaten to death instead right now?”
“This servant wouldn’t dare! This servant will do just as you instructed,” the maid sobbed, teary-eyed. She could only helplessly lower her head.
Zhao Ruizhi released a long sigh of satisfaction as he watched the lesser maid kiss the two bunnies all over.
After a long time pa.s.sed, the palace maid cried out in alarm. Zhao Ruizhi roared with laughter and exclaimed, “Hahaha, the rabbits really do bite when they’re panicking!”
…
The sounds outside reached the interior of the palace from time to time. Bi Linglong got up with a reddened face, saying, “That rascal is getting more and more out of hand. I’m going to teach him a lesson!”
She had felt a weight drop in her stomach when she first heard the crown prince arrive. She couldn't help but feel a bit guilty. Even though the two of them had never really acted like spouses, in the eyes of everyone else, he was her husband. And yet, Zhao Ruizhi’s series of behaviors really frustrated her to no end, so all of her guilt was quickly swept away. In contrast, when she thought about how she was actually married to such a fool, she couldn't help but cry tears of bitterness.
Zu An pulled her back and said, “He was just given a beating, so he probably doesn’t feel great. Just let him vent a bit. He’ll play his way, and we’ll play our way.”
Bi Linglong leaned into his chest. She looked at him in annoyance with her watery eyes. She replied, “You still have the nerve to say that? You actually dared to beat him publicly; just how are you so brave? He's the crown prince, and there are so many people here. If news of this reaches the court, many people will file accusations of misconduct against you.”
“I was speaking properly to him, but he went way too far. In that case, he can’t blame me for reasoning with him through other means,” Zu An said with a smile. "Besides, not only do I dare to pound the crown prince, I dare to pound the crown princess too!”
Bi Linglong felt something huge stirring next to her. She almost melted on the spot. However, her reason still won out and she pressed down on her dress, saying, “My outfit is too complicated right now; there won't be any way to fix it if it’s undone. Then, the maids will notice that something is off.”
The crown princess’ official dress was detailed and complicated, often needing the aid of several palace maids to wear. It would take an hour just to put on. She also felt a bit of regret as she spoke. If she had known this was going to happen, she would have dressed a bit more casually. However, she had also wanted to greet her lover with her most beautiful side. How could she have expected him to be so brazen, to do this when they were still in the Eastern Palace…?
Zu An was also a bit dejected. He didn’t know just which idiot had come up with such impractical clothing.
When she thought about how this guy normally at least some misgivings before her, but was now so bold, Bi Linglong finally couldn't take it and asked, “Did his majesty really die?”
“That’s right. He died in the secret dungeon,” Zu An replied.
Bi Linglong sighed in relief. Then, she looked at him with a complicated expression, asking, “Did you kill him?”
Zu An gently hooked her chin with his finger and admired her stunning face. He replied, “Hm? Could it be that the crown princess wishes to accuse me of the most disgraceful crime?”