Su Jin's face burned with embarrassment; not only was she caught eavesdropping, she even teased them in return. It seemed she had a good relationship with Xie Jingchen.
Thanks to Xie Jingchen's introduction, Su Jin learned that the man was the Heir of Marquis Jingguo, Chu Shun.
Xie Jingchen looked at him and asked, "Why are you at the Duke Mansion?"
Chu Shun cleared his throat and said, "I heard some rumors on the street, and I was a bit worried, so I came to check on you."
Su Jin's mouth twitched involuntarily, and she silently took a few steps away.
Since they were just rumors and made people uneasy, they couldn't be good. She decided it was better not to listen to avoid embarrassment.
Otherwise, if she blushed, people would be surprised that this female bandit could actually blush.
If she didn't blush, people would be amazed at her thick skin, truly like a female bandit.
As Su Jin turned away, she heard a voice behind her. She almost fell flat with shock as she heard Chu Shun ask Xie Jingchen, "Is your innocence really gone?"
"What nonsense," Xie Jingchen said angrily.
Chu Shun's shoulders shook with laughter, "It's widely rumored on the street that you were overpowered by a female bandit, and the rumor came from the Duke Zhen Country Mansion. It said you were still unconscious last night, yet you were stripped bare and taken advantage of, utterly exhausted and emaciated..."
Xie Jingchen's face was as dark as the bottom of a pot, and a cold aura emanated from him.
Chu Shun stopped talking and said regretfully, "But what I saw was completely the opposite of the rumors. I was worried you might be so humiliated you'd lose hope, and I rushed over here... "
All the way here, he had thought about how to comfort him, but he found them flirting and joking with each other. He had never seen him so happy since he'd known him. Could he say he was stunned?
Chu Shun felt a bit complex, with a pang of pity and disappointment, "Did that female bandit really win you over just like that?"
Xie Jingchen had black lines forming on his forehead as he gritted his teeth and said, "You actually believe those words?!"
Chu Shun sighed, "If you were awake, I'd believe you would resist to the end. But weren't you unconscious? It's well-known she likes you, so to miss such an opportunity is really hard to believe. Don't deny it; I won't laugh at you."
Xie Jingchen almost spat blood; if it weren't for him having saved him, he would have kicked him into the lake to cool off by now.
Su Jin stood far away, the breeze gently blowing, bringing a faint fragrance.
Noticing the Heir of Marquis Jingguo frequently glancing her way, Su Jin was curious about what Xie Jingchen had told him.
After standing for a while, the Heir of Marquis Jingguo walked over. Xie Jingchen followed a few steps behind, his face looking even worse than when he woke up last night and saw her and tried to strangle her.
The Heir of Marquis Jingguo's expression was much more exuberant; his eyes shone with surprise and scrutiny, and a bit of disbelief as he said, "If there's ever a headache or fever, I'll trouble you, dear sister-in-law. These days, if you want to go out shopping, be sure to bring big brother along to fend off rotten eggs for you."
Su Jin's eye twitched hard, thinking of how she was pelted with rotten eggs while sitting in a bridal sedan yesterday, let alone what going out would be like. It seemed she would have to drag Xie Jingchen out for a display of affection; otherwise, she couldn't casually stroll the streets in the future.
Sighing inwardly, Su Jin thought, in modern times, flaunting love leads to quick breakups, but in ancient times, it's the opposite. After flaunting love wave after wave, how was she going to ask for a divorce later on?
Lost in her thoughts, Chu Shun's folded fan waved in front of her, bringing her back to her senses. She smiled and asked, "The Heir of Marquis Jingguo didn't prepare rotten eggs, did you?"
Chu Shun choked, coughing twice before saying, "I'm more genuine. Since you're asking, I'll tell the truth. I prepared stones."
Su Jin, "..."
This truth was truly a stab to the heart.
Then Chu Shun switched his tone and laughed, "Just joking with the sister-in-law. With my supreme martial arts, I can kill with a single leaf or flower without needing stones."
Su Jin blinked and looked over at Xie Jingchen, only to hear him say lightly, "He is teaching you how people in the Capital City brag."
Chu Shun waved his hand earnestly and said, "Bragging would be redundant; let's call it mutual learning. After all, every district has its own customs. Normal people brag with such braggadocio that it's annoying, but sister-in-law's way of bragging is much more unique and refreshing, subtly elevating brother to the level of an ox. Such a state is rarely seen."
The ox, "..."
Seeing Xie Jingchen about to explode, Chu Shun quickly made a swift exit. Before leaving, he said to Su Jin, "If there's a flower worthy of picking, pick it without delay; don't wait until there are no flowers, and you're picking bare branches."
Earlier, Su Jin thought the Heir of Marquis Jingguo was Xie Jingchen's friend; now he seemed more like a frenemy, encouraging her to take advantage of Xie Jingchen while he was poisoned and defenseless, or else she'd lose the chance once he recovers.
Xingxing stood beside her, angrily saying, "The Heir of Marquis Jingguo has bad intentions."
Su Jin looked at her and asked, "Why do you say that?"
Xingxing said, "Which flowers can be picked just anytime? Some days ago, young lady went to the Imperial Palace, and the Emperor told her to treat it as her home. She took it literally and picked a few flowers in the Imperial Garden, which happened to be planted by Princess Shouning. If it weren't for young lady saving the Emperor, she'd have been carried out of the palace that day."
Ah, this was not that kind of flower, but the incident of picking flowers in the palace was something Su Jin didn't know about.
"I don't think Princess Shouning and I have a grudge, right?" Su Jin asked casually.
Xingxing replied, "Of course, you have a grudge. You only picked two of her flowers, and she wanted to chop your hand off. You whipped her once, so she's bound to hate you."
Su Jin's legs felt weak, "Who birthed Princess Shouning?"
"The Empress did," Xingxing replied.
Su Jin felt as if struck by lightning. Could it get any worse?
The current Empress was the Empress Dowager's niece, and she was cousins with Princess Nanzhang. Giving her a bowl of sterility medicine was likely not just to avenge her for disgracing Duke Zhen's face but also to stand up for Princess Shouning.
"Why didn't anyone tell me about these things?" Su Jin frowned.
Xingxing blinked and said, "Neither the Marquis nor Madam knew about this. Before entering the palace, Madam instructed you not to cause trouble, or the family law would punish you. You were afraid of getting scolded and forbade this servant from telling them. The matter didn't leak out of the palace, and this servant forgot until just now when it suddenly came to mind."
Seeing Su Jin's face looking grim, Xingxing consoled her, "What's the big deal about giving Princess Shouning a whip? When you saved the Emperor, you accidentally whipped him too, but he wasn't angry. The Marquis even secretly told Madam that the whipping made him delighted, saying you truly are his good daughter."
Su Jin, "..."
Xie Jingchen, "..."
Su Jin held her forehead, unable to fathom her father's way of thinking, but she needed to properly instruct Xingxing, "Why would you mention this in front of him?"
Su Jin gave Xie Jingchen a sidelong glance, and Xingxing pulled Su Jin aside, whispering, "Don't spread this around. The Marquis specifically instructed this servant to unintentionally leak it to the husband, so that he'd be mentally prepared. Since even the Emperor was whipped, there isn't anyone that the young lady can't whip in this world.
In the future, when young lady whips the husband, he must stand there obediently, not run, and certainly not resist. The Marquis also instructed you to leave some dignity for the husband by not whipping his face but doing it bare, so outsiders won't see."
Su Jin, "..."
Xie Jingchen, "..."
After a moment of silence, Su Jin asked, "When whipping, should I light a few candles for added effect?"