The Pampered Consort Demands a Divorce - Chapter Two

 After Wen Rou left, Zhishu, the personal attendant who had always served Cui Jingyan, quietly walked in. He carried a heavy chest, which contained the Prince's estate's private internal account ledgers that Cui Jingyan had ordered him to fetch.

Originally, the Prince of Jin's household in the capital was not particularly wealthy, barely scraping by to maintain daily operations. When Cui Jingyan showed an extraordinary business acumen in his youth, the Princess Consort curiously handed over several shops from her dowry for him to practice with. To everyone's astonishment, within just a single year, the number of shops and their total assets doubled.

In the end, the Prince of Jin waved his hand generously and transferred all open and secret enterprises of the estate in the capital to Cui Jingyan’s management. Sure enough, after just five years under his care, the Prince of Jin quietly rose to become the wealthiest of all the imperial princes. Even the Prince himself did not realize that his family's enterprises now spanned both the north and south, owning land and real estate across every province and city. If Cui Jingyan ever decided to throw in the towel and quit, national tax revenues would instantly plummet by ten percent.

Zhishu was normally steady and thorough in his duties, but at the moment, he looked hesitant, as if holding words back. Catching sight of this out of the corner of his eye, Cui Jingyan could not help but ask, "What do you want to say?"

Zhishu hesitated before speaking, "Just now, Your Highness told the Consort that the open land in the southeast corner near the Courtyard of Abiding Simplicity could be used. But... but Your Highness may have forgotten. Although that plot of land has sat empty for over a decade, last year, the Consort of Qingcheng from the second branch already declared that she wanted that land to build a glass greenhouse. It seemed the Heir Apparent's wife did not object at the time either..."

"I did forget." The corners of Cui Jingyan's lips curved into a faint, somewhat mocking smile. He did not mention that he had already pieced together the estate's internal affairs several days ago. "However, given what I know of Second Sister-in-law, she probably hasn't built that greenhouse yet, has she? All the estate's public funds come from me, and building a greenhouse is her personal desire. There is no way I would foot the bill for her. Relying on the pitifully meager savings from her own dowry, she wouldn't even be able to lay the foundation in three to five years."

"She indeed hasn't," Zhishu remarked with a sigh.

Lady Jiang had a sharp, shrewish nature. While she fawned over Cui Jingyan, she remained distant, and every friendly gesture she made reeked of falsehood, earning his deep contempt. Although Cui Jingyan could easily help her build the greenhouse with just a fraction of the loose silver slipping through his fingers, Lady Jiang only talked without taking any real action—perhaps waiting for him to offer the money of his own accord. Since Cui Jingyan acted throughout as if the matter did not exist, Lady Jiang had stewed in resentment for a long time.

"If she hasn't, then that settles it. It is the estate's land. As long as Father, Mother, and Eldest Sister-in-law do not object, no one can accuse her of forcefully seizing another's property." The smile on Cui Jingyan's face grew increasingly peculiar.

"B-but... that Consort of Qingcheng is not someone to be trifled with. If this happens, our Consort will likely clash with her..." This was what Zhishu worried about most. Having accompanied the wedding procession, the shocking scene of their Consort fiercely beating down bandits on her wedding day was still fresh in his mind. Meanwhile, the Consort of Qingcheng was a woman who refused to suffer any loss. If the two clashed, wouldn't the estate be thrown into utter chaos?

"If the two of them really got into a fight, who do you think would win?" Cui Jingyan asked with leisurely ease.

Zhishu fell silent. Wasn't the answer glaringly obvious? If they truly fought, Lady Jiang probably wouldn't even last a single blink.

"So what is there to worry about? Since Wen Rou insists on being my consort, she must be capable of handling pressure. How could she be unable to handle a trivial matter like this?" Cui Jingyan waved his hand, signaling Zhishu to move the chest closer, and immediately tossed the matter aside.

Zhishu said no more, obediently setting the chest before him. The contents inside were of utmost importance; aside from account books and secret correspondence, there were various small curios and trinkets the Prince treasured. Because of this, it was locked, and only the Prince himself held the key.

Cui Jingyan unlocked the chest and picked out several account ledgers. At the bottom of the chest, however, lay a painting scroll and an unfamiliar brocade box. Try as he might, he could not recall when he had placed those items inside, so he pulled out the scroll first.

He slowly unrolled it, only to find a portrait of a person. The artist's brushwork was crude and childish, the composition simplistic, and there was no signature or inscription. He studied it for a long time before finally discerning from the accessories on the figure's robes that the portrait was likely meant to depict him, Cui Jingyan.

"Drawn so hideously—this is a total disgrace to my dashing and elegant image." Cui Jingyan clicked his tongue and looked up at Zhishu. "Who painted this?"

"This servant does not know." Zhishu shook his head in a hurry. When it came to the contents of that chest, he had never dared peek at anything.

In any case, such an ugly drawing could hardly be anything important; it had probably been tossed into the chest by mistake. Cui Jingyan carelessly threw the scroll to Zhishu. "Throw it away."

Seeing Zhishu take the painting, Cui Jingyan picked up the brocade box and opened it. Inside lay a white jade carving of a horse. The horse was depicted in full gallop, sculpted vividly with lifelike energy. However, the jade was of poor quality, slightly yellowish with visible impurities and motley coloring.

"What is this again?"

Once more, Cui Jingyan turned a bewildered look toward Zhishu. As expected, Zhishu wore an equally blank expression.

He snapped the box shut, glanced at the gold-thread floral weave on the lid, let out a sarcastic chuckle, and tossed it to Zhishu as well. "This jade probably isn't even worth as much as the box it's in. Consider it a reward for you!"

Zhishu happily departed with both the painting scroll and the wooden box.

Cui Jingyan picked up the teacup on the desk and took a sip, about to begin reviewing the ledgers. But then he realized he had inadvertently picked up the cup Wen Rou had drank from earlier. His brow furrowed instantly.

Cui Jingyan was something of a clean freak. Composing himself, he noticed that touching the woman's cup had not triggered his instinctive revulsion. He narrowed his eyes, braced himself, and took another sip, his brow knitting even deeper.

The empty plot of land in the southeast corner of the estate was said to be near the Courtyard of Abiding Simplicity, but it was actually about a hundred paces away, separated by a small garden. For some reason, this long-abandoned ground had already been cleared; there were no weeds or debris, only freshly loosened soil. The usable area was roughly one mu. Wen Rou was not entirely satisfied after inspecting it, but given the current layout of the estate, it was barely acceptable.

Since the ground was already cleared, converting it into a training ground would be simple. Galloping on horseback here was out of the question, but practicing martial arts and archery was entirely feasible. All she needed to do was dig up the stones, weed roots, and other tripping hazards, smooth the ground with a stone roller, pave it with blue flagstones, erect plum blossom balance posts and wooden dummies, nail up archery targets, and set out weapon racks—and a simple training field would be complete.

Wen Rou worked with tremendous efficiency. Once she had sized up the land, she immediately ordered the senior matron from her dowry retinue to handle the arrangements.

The Marquis of Weiwu had only one son and one daughter, and he had spoiled this daughter to the heavens since childhood. Consequently, her dowry was staggering. Beyond personal maidservants, guards, laborers, and gardeners, her dowry retinue even included senior stewardesses meant for when the estate eventually divided branches, down to midwives for future childbirth. Furthermore, because she held her own military merits, all the imperial rewards she had earned were brought along to the Prince of Jin's estate. It was fair to say that among the three daughters-in-law of the Prince of Jin, she was by far the wealthiest.

Thus, turning an empty plot of land into a martial arts ground within a single day was nothing more than a matter of giving a few orders for Wen Rou. She did not even need to spend a single copper from the estate's public funds; her own manpower and wealth could handle it with ease.

Sure enough, in less than half an hour, the loose soil was thoroughly cleared and pressed into a flat, firm ground by the stone roller. Following Wen Rou's blueprints, the laborers staked in the plum blossom balance posts and the wooden training dummies, then secured the archery targets in appropriate spots. Another half-hour later, the laborers escorted several large carts loaded with blue stone slabs into the estate and began laying the pavement.

Seeing that everything could be completed before the sun set, Wen Rou could not be bothered to linger. She planned to head back to her room to rest for a bit so that when she woke, she could test out the new training ground. Yet she had only taken two steps after turning around when Lady Jiang's shrill voice came carrying over from afar, drawing nearer by the second.

"Stop, stop, stop! Younger Sister-in-law, just what do you think you are doing?" Lady Jiang marched aggressively up to Wen Rou, followed by an elderly matron whose expression was equally hostile.

"Building a martial arts training ground," Wen Rou replied matter-of-factly.

"How can Younger Sister-in-law arbitrarily build a training ground here? Do you have any idea that this land is what I intended to use for building a greenhouse?" Lady Jiang had no real hobbies in life other than planting flowers. The prize specimens of peonies, orchids, and other blooms she cultivated often made appearances at the capital's flower-viewing gatherings, earning her considerable acclaim. In order to cultivate beautiful blossoms even in the dead of winter and shine brilliantly during gatherings of the capital's noble ladies, she had coveted a greenhouse for a very long time.

Just moments ago, while taking a short nap, she had been hurriedly awakened by Mother Chen, the head stewardess of the second branch. Mother Chen reported that someone was altering the land reserved for her greenhouse, flattening the entire plot and seemingly preparing to pave it with stone. The moment Lady Jiang heard this, she lost all composure. Throwing on an outer robe, she rushed over, only to see the leveled ground and several cartloads of stone slabs. Her face turned entirely green with anger.

Wen Rou, however, showed no intention of halting the work. She directed a laborer to adjust the placement of a wooden dummy before leisurely replying, "Before breaking ground, I consulted the estate's head steward. This land currently serves no purpose whatsoever, so I took it to build a training ground."

Naturally, the head steward had cautioned her that the second branch had future plans for this land. But up until now, it had been nothing more than empty talk. Back then, Lady Liu had been pestered endlessly by Lady Jiang, to the point where public funds were used to clear the land for the second branch, yet the second branch had still made no move. Knowing the full story, Wen Rou couldn't care less.

"Who says it serves no purpose? Before you even entered this household, I already stated that I was going to build a greenhouse here! Tell them to halt work immediately, dig the soil back loose, and forbid them from laying any stone slabs! Otherwise, my greenhouse cannot lay its foundation!" Viewing herself as the elder sister-in-law, Lady Jiang put on lofty airs. "I must say, Younger Sister-in-law, a newly wedded daughter-in-law must know how to read the room. A princely estate has many rules; it is nothing like the casual freedom you enjoyed in the Marquis's residence. In the future, ask around before doing anything, and don't always act with such brazen recklessness!"

"Ask around, you say?" The corners of Wen Rou's lips curved into a cold, superficial smile. "I did ask! The head steward said this land has sat empty for several years. If Second Sister-in-law wanted to build a greenhouse, why didn't you build it right away?"

"That's..." Lady Jiang choked on her words. She could hardly admit that it was because she lacked the funds.

Before the wedding, back when Cui Jingyan had not yet lost his memory, he had already explained the temperaments and habits of everyone in the household to Wen Rou. He naturally hadn't shied away from discussing this second sister-in-law's sharp malice, her modest background prior to marrying into the estate, and the petty trouble she might cause after the wedding. Thus, Wen Rou knew Lady Jiang's predicament inside and out—it all boiled down to a single word: poor.

Sure enough, this hit-the-nail-on-the-head question stumped Lady Jiang on the spot. Wen Rou had no desire to waste further breath on her. Having wealth meant having the freedom to do as one pleased, so she declared breezily, "It seems Second Sister-in-law has not yet made adequate preparations to build your greenhouse. Since that is the case, I will take this land for now. Whenever you are ready to build it, you may request another plot of land from the estate, and when the time comes, I will sponsor your floor-heating flues."

Wen Rou meant this sincerely, but to the twisted sensibilities of Lady Jiang, it sounded like sheer mockery of her poverty. Gritting her teeth, Lady Jiang spat, "Younger Sister-in-law, you are acting far too tyrannical and reckless! A new bride who has only just crossed the threshold would do well not to offend people in this estate, or your future days will be very difficult indeed..."

Such a threat drifted past Wen Rou's ears like a gentle breeze, leaving no trace behind. She merely smiled, reached out naturally to take the heavy longbow resting on the weapon rack, pulled an arrow from the quiver, and drew the bowstring to full extension.

With just that single movement, Wen Rou's entire presence transformed. The chilling, imposing authority radiating from her made Lady Jiang's face drain of color instantly. The laborers, who had been hesitating over whether to continue working, along with Mother Chen who had accompanied Lady Jiang, froze stiffly in place, not daring to utter a sound.

Then, the bowstring snapped from Wen Rou's fingers. A loud thwack cracked through the air as the sharp arrow struck dead center on the bullseye a hundred paces away. That was no straw target, but a heavy wooden board; because it had not yet been securely nailed down, the force of the piercing shot sent it crashing heavily to the ground, kicking up a thick cloud of dust from the unpaved earth.

Terrified by such raw might, Lady Jiang's legs turned to jelly. Mother Chen beside her rushed forward to support her.

Seeing this, Wen Rou casually lowered the bow with an effortless air and smiled brilliantly. "Second Sister-in-law, I don't believe there is anyone in this household capable of bullying me. Therefore, offending a few people shouldn't be much of an issue, don't you think?"

Having said her piece, she paid Lady Jiang no further heed, turning around to instruct the workers to resume construction.

The laborers were Wen Rou's own people to begin with. Having assessed the situation, they sprang into action, working more diligently than ever.

Lady Jiang was practically exploding with rage, yet she found herself utterly powerless against Wen Rou. Whether in terms of wealth, manpower, or raw martial strength, she could not match her in a single aspect; even her threats sounded pathetically hollow.

By this time, Lady Liu had already caught wind of the quarrel between her two sisters-in-law from the servants. Fearing that things would escalate out of hand and bring blame upon her as the household's managing heir-consort, she hurried over from the East Courtyard with a retinue of maids and matrons.

Sharp-eyed Mother Chen spotted Lady Liu's figure in the distance. Seizing the moment while Wen Rou's back was turned, she shot urgent meaningful glances at Lady Jiang.

Lady Jiang looked over as well. Seeing Lady Liu hurrying toward them, how could she fail to understand Mother Chen's intent? Right at that opportune moment, she let out an unprompted shriek of horror and slumped backward, fainting dead away into Mother Chen's arms.

Unsure of what had transpired and hearing only the piercing scream, Lady Liu quickened her pace in fright. When she arrived on the scene, all she saw was Lady Jiang collapsed against Mother Chen, while Wen Rou looked back at her with a face full of helpless resignation.

"What... what is going on here? What happened to Second Younger Sister-in-law? Hurry, someone call Imperial Physician Li!" Lady Liu was truly startled by Lady Jiang's theatrics, asking breathlessly as she tried to catch her breath.

Before Wen Rou could speak, Mother Chen cut in loudly, "Heir Consort, you must seek justice for our Consort! The Consort of Ninghua not only snatched away the land our Consort intended to use, but she even shot arrows just now to terrorize people! Our Consort has never witnessed such violence—she was frightened straight into a faint!"

Hearing this, Lady Liu turned to Wen Rou in astonishment. "Third Younger Sister-in-law, you..."

"I merely heard this was an unused plot of land. Since no one has used it for years, I took it for my use." Wen Rou shrugged.

"How can the Consort of Ninghua be so overbearing? Clearly, our Consort set her eyes on this land first..." Mother Chen barked in a low growl.

When speaking with Lady Jiang, Wen Rou had still preserved some shred of decorum, speaking softly. But toward Mother Chen, she possessed no such patience. Her face darkened instantly. "Where did a lowly servant like you come from to speak to me in such a manner? Just because your mistress set her eyes on the land first, it belongs to you? What grand arrogance! If you set your eyes on something in this estate first, it must be handed to you? Did you pay silver for it, or have a signed deed stamped? By that logic, I could say that since I built the training ground first, the land belongs to me! At least every copper spent on developing this land came from my own pocket, without taking a single penny from the estate!"

Frightened, Mother Chen took a step back. Realizing she could not intimidate Wen Rou, she turned back to Lady Liu. "Heir Consort, look at how unreasonable the Consort of Ninghua is, scaring our Consort into a dead faint! We have no other recourse; we beg the Heir Consort to uphold justice for us..."

"Aiyo! You old slave, shouting so loudly! You've frightened me to death—I'm about to faint too!"

Wen Rou suddenly blurted out this dramatic line. Right after, she swayed and collapsed toward Lady Liu's maidservant, nearly crushing the girl to the ground. Fortunately, another matron rushed forward to help, barely managing to hold Wen Rou upright.

It was glaringly obvious that she was faking it, and doing so without the slightest effort to make it convincing. Mother Chen was livid, snapping directly, "Who ever faints like that? The Consort of Ninghua should stop putting on an act..."

The "fainting" Wen Rou refused to be outdone. Still leaning against the maidservant, she quipped, "If your mistress can put on an act, why can't I? With my build, it takes two whole people just to support me when I faint. Your mistress is exceptionally plump, yet you, an old woman, can hold her up all by yourself. Just which of us is the better actor?"

Indeed, Lady Jiang had lived in pampered comfort for years and had grown stout and plump, whereas Wen Rou had trained in martial arts without pause for years, remaining fit, lithe, and shapely. Based on sheer physique, one Lady Jiang was easily equivalent to two Wen Rous.

Bringing this out into the open made things thoroughly awkward. Lady Liu looked squarely at Lady Jiang, then at Mother Chen's embarrassed face—they had time to lodge complaints, yet no urgency to call the physician—and realized it truly was a facade. Her expression soured at once.

Even though she had been seen through, Lady Jiang could hardly wake up now. She could only grit her teeth and continue playing unconscious.

The farce had reached its limit. The "fainted" Wen Rou appeared to slowly regain consciousness, lazily stretching her back before walking over to whisper something into Lady Liu's ear.

Upon hearing her words, Lady Liu's eyes lit up, her internal dilemma dissolving entirely. Moreover, Cui Jingyan controlled the estate's revenue, so she had always leaned slightly toward the third branch anyway. Since Lady Jiang was determined to keep playing dead, Lady Liu simply settled the matter on the spot.

"It seems to me that Second Younger Sister-in-law has no immediate plans to build a greenhouse; otherwise, the land would not have sat empty for so long without any progress. Since Second Younger Sister-in-law remains unconscious, this land shall be used by the third branch for now. Third Younger Sister-in-law paid for it with her own silver, so it would be unreasonable to obstruct her. When Second Younger Sister-in-law is eventually ready to build her greenhouse, Third Younger Sister-in-law has offered to help construct the floor flues, which can be considered compensation."

With that, Lady Liu had no desire to meddle in this nuisance any longer. Turning on her heel, she departed with her maids and matrons. Wen Rou also turned and strolled over to the other side to discuss the setup of the training ground with the laborers.

Thus, on the vast open ground, only Mother Chen remained, supporting the pretend-fainting Lady Jiang. Lady Jiang could not afford to wake up, yet without her waking, Mother Chen had no way to carry her away. She was truly trapped on the back of a tiger, unable to dismount.

Thanks to the shot Wen Rou had fired earlier, the laborers worked with remarkable haste. Before dusk fell, the martial arts ground was fully built.

Wen Rou practiced her saber, threw punches, and tested her aim against the archery targets on the flat stone pavement. After breaking a thoroughly satisfying, dripping sweat, she returned contentedly to wash up and take her meal.

When Cui Jingyan returned to the room that night, the sight that greeted him was Wen Rou wearing only a thin robe, her leather belt unfastened, with her sleeves rolled up high as she awkwardly applied fresh medicine to the wounds on her arm.

Having orchestrated the clash between Wen Rou and Lady Jiang, Cui Jingyan was naturally well aware of what had transpired that afternoon. Though he was surprised that Wen Rou was not as brainless as he had assumed and had even turned the tables on Lady Jiang, he would never let such approval show. He merely spoke with a subtle trace of mockery, "What? Did you do something wicked and get taught a lesson by someone?"

How could Wen Rou fail to catch the sarcasm in his voice? Ever since this man lost his memory, not a single pleasant word had come out of his mouth, exactly like when she had first met him. If she truly took it to heart, life would be miserable. So she merely spared him a calm glance. "Isn't it all because of your instigation? Don't tell me you didn't know what would happen if I touched that land in the southeast corner. Because of that, my wounds broke open again."

She implied that drawing that heavy bow before Lady Jiang had reopened her injuries. In reality, she had moved around vigorously after the training ground was finished; it was only natural that the wounds hadn't healed.

However, she had no intention of elaborating. She understood him far too well and knew precisely which words would get under his skin.

Cui Jingyan was struck dumb on the spot, unable to hide the guilt on his face. He suddenly remembered the origin of those wounds on her body—word had it that she had received them while saving him on their wedding day. Now, because he had tried to stir up trouble for her, her cuts had reopened, which was never his intention.

Observing his expression, Wen Rou smiled with genuine amusement. "Don't worry. I've known all along that you have a black heart. Especially now that you detest me so, it's only to be expected that you'd unleash that black heart upon me. It's just my poor luck that I was abducted by a black-hearted man like you. After finally making it to our wedding day, you had to go and forget the past, forcing me to endure your black-hearted ways all over again for a while..."

Accused of having a black heart, the handsome man's face flushed pale and dark by turns. He was displeased by her implication that he was sinister, yet his heart skipped a beat at her unabashed confession of affection.

He suddenly realized that his understanding of Wen Rou was far too shallow. He had thought her foolish, yet she constantly displayed clever wit. He had thought her crude, yet her posture and movements, while free and unconstrained, were never unsightly. He had thought her vicious, yet ever since he lost his memory, he had not spoken a single kind word to her, while she had never once lashed out at him in anger.

It was precisely this side of her that dealt blow after blow to his inner conviction, filling him with conflicting turmoil. He adamantly denied that he had ever fallen in love with this woman, yet that resolute certainty seemed to waver, if only by a fraction...

Wen Rou had no idea what inner struggle he was waging. Having finished applying the medicine, she rolled down her sleeves, slipped off her outer robe, and prepared for bed.

Cui Jingyan, who had been lost in thought, snapped back to reality. When he focused his gaze, he saw that the woman had stripped down to nothing but her thin inner garments. He sucked in a sharp breath. "What... what do you think you're doing?"

"Going to sleep, of course. What else?" Wen Rou looked at him, an amused glint in her eyes.

"If you want to sleep, just sleep! Why are you taking off your clothes?" Through her parted inner robe, Cui Jingyan could see the moon-white bodice beneath, and his face grew uncontrollably hot.

They had been married for quite some time, sharing a room but not the same bed. He had always been a late sleeper and an early riser, keeping hours opposite to hers. Whenever he saw her lying on the couch, she was bundled up inside the quilt, exposing only the crown of her head. How could he have known she was this bold beneath the covers?

This was quite amusing—was he feeling shy? That was a brand-new discovery!

The corners of Wen Rou's lips curved upward, her eyes narrowing playfully. Even during the days when they were closest, they had strictly adhered to propriety, stopping well short of crossing the line. Thinking about it, stripping down openly before him like this truly was a first.

She should have stopped at her inner robe, but Wen Rou was not about to let this chance to tease him slip by. So she continued peeling it off, her movements slow yet brimming with aesthetic grace, until the inner garment slid away, leaving only the moon-white bodice and a pair of sheer, form-fitting undergarments.

The tiny bodice could barely contain her proud, voluptuous curves, casting deep shadows across her chest. The curve of her waist was breathtaking, arched like a drawn bow with faint traces of sleek muscle running into her pert, rounded hips, and further down to long, shapely, yet powerful jade legs...

Her figure was practically flawless—curving where it should curve, slender where it should be slender, without an ounce of excess flesh. The only blemish was a long scar across her back, cutting from her upper left shoulder down toward her right waist, slightly marring this arresting beauty.

Cui Jingyan knew full well he should look away; staring was unworthy of a gentleman. Yet a man's primal instinct made it impossible to avert his gaze. He stared at her with burning eyes, lamenting how that slender, supple waist was marred by an unsightly scar. Otherwise, a single glance would be enough to drive any man wild...

Noticing how intently he was staring, Wen Rou walked toward him with open confidence, her smile touched with seduction.

"Does it look good?" She gave him a gentle push. Caught off guard, he stepped back until his legs met the edge of the bed, and he sat down with the momentum.

It looked good! But even if beaten to death, Cui Jingyan would never utter those words aloud. He merely kept his face taut, glaring at her in feigned anger, yet for some reason, his hands made no move to shove her away.

Wen Rou's smile turned even more bewitching as her entire body pressed close to his. Instinctively, Cui Jingyan leaned backward. But this was a bed with limited space; before long, the position shifted until he was pinned beneath her.

Her lovely face leaned in close, nose to nose, so near they were almost touching yet not quite. Her long hair cascaded around them, trapping their warm breath within that tiny, intimate space, thick with ambiguity and surging passion.

Thinking she was about to kiss him, he nearly closed his eyes. To his shock, one of her hands rested against his chest and slipped beneath the lapel of his robe, causing his eyes to snap wide open once more.

"You don't take off your clothes when you sleep? Then let me help you strip. See how good I am to you?"

With agonizing slowness, she undid his outer robes. Cui Jingyan remained frozen in place, his expression rigid. Heaven knew what kind of torment he was enduring. With every passing second, he told himself that if her hand ventured an inch deeper into his clothes, he would abandon all restraint, turn the tables, and take control—after all, she was the one who had provoked him.

Yet under her seduction, he remained entirely paralyzed, allowing her to push her advantage further until she successfully peeled off his outer garments.

"There! Hurry up and sleep! I'm going to sleep too." All provocation ceased abruptly. Wen Rou suddenly rose to her feet and swiftly pulled her inner robe back on, leaving Cui Jingyan staring in dumbfounded disbelief.

"Don't worry. Until you get your memory back, I won't force myself on you." Wen Rou flashed him what she considered a considerate smile. Then, she stepped over to the arhat bed not far away, slipped beneath the quilt, and bundled herself up tightly, hiding every trace of springtime warmth.

Gritting his teeth, Cui Jingyan glared at the woman who had lit a blazing fire only to run away, utterly at a loss for how to vent his fury. Could he possibly say that he didn't mind being forced by her, and tell her to come back and finish what she had just started?

He closed his eyes, taking a long while to calm the wild, roaring turmoil in his chest. He was supposed to reject her, yet for some inexplicable reason, he hadn't pushed her away. The hold this woman had over him was far more dangerous than he could have ever anticipated!

He took back his earlier thought. That mesmerizing waist of hers—even with a scar—was more than enough to drive a man insane.

Curse these wretched male instincts! Dammit, absolutely dammit!