The Command to Pamper the Husband - Chapter 153

Song Jin rolled her eyes. “What? Does His Highness want to have an epic romance with his brother?”

The Crown Prince immediately burst into laughter and hooked his hand under Song Jin’s chin. “What an interesting soul.”

Song Jin turned her head to avoid his touch. “The words you said at my residence this morning weren’t about how to rearrange the courtyard, were they?”

The Crown Prince looked at Song Jin with interest but didn’t reply.

Song Jin continued, “You were instructing your subordinates on how to sneak through the courtyard and enter the secret chamber, weren’t you?”

The Crown Prince laughed again. “Talking to smart people is so much fun. It’s as enjoyable as reading a book.”

He rested his chin on his hand and tilted his head to look at Song Jin. “You must be the heroine.”

Song Jin…

“What, do you want to be the hero?”

The Crown Prince smirked. “What do you think?”

Song Jin raised an eyebrow. “You’ve read so many books. Have you ever read one without a romantic plot?”

The Crown Prince…

Without what?

Song Jin accurately captured the brief confusion in the Crown Prince’s eyes and chuckled. “What? You’ve read countless books, but you don’t know about stories without romantic subplots?”

The Crown Prince…

“The world’s books are vast and endless. I read only a tiny fraction out of personal interest. Not knowing everything is normal, right? Does the Fourth Prince think I know everything? I’m flattered but also a bit disappointed to hear that.”

The Crown Prince quickly steered the conversation back to his own rhythm.

Song Jin…

“I’m not here to spar with you verbally.”

The Crown Prince nodded. “Of course. I don’t want to spar with you either. If you want my words, you have to prove you’re worthy.”

As he spoke, the Crown Prince gave Song Jin an ambiguous smile and traced his finger along the corner of his mouth. The sight made Song Jin’s skin crawl.

Is he a pervert?

“You risked coming to my residence to poison someone. Compared to me stealing that painting from the Empress’s palace, I want to know what’s so special about that painting.”

The Crown Prince’s expression remained casual as he smiled. “First, sending someone to Shen Yue’s residence was not risky. We didn’t even alarm Shen Yue’s secret guards. How could that be considered risky?”

Song Jin…

Talking to this person could suffocate anyone.

“Second, you’ll know what’s special about the painting once you retrieve it.”

“Do I have a choice? What if I say I won’t go?”

The Crown Prince was not surprised by Song Jin’s words. He picked up a cup from the table and played with it. “You have no choice.”

“What if I don’t care whether Shen Yue lives or dies? Cold poison’s poison can only be cured by the voluntary blood of the poisoner. What if I refuse to cooperate with you?”

“You don’t care about Shen Yue’s life?” The Crown Prince was slightly surprised. “And you don’t care about switching back to your own body?”

Song Jin smiled. “Why switch back? Am I not fine as I am?”

The Crown Prince seemed to probe the truth of Song Jin’s words, staring into her eyes. Song Jin didn’t flinch, letting him look as much as he wanted.

For a moment, the Plum Pavilion fell silent, filled only with the refreshing scent of plum blossoms. After what felt like the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the Crown Prince suddenly smiled. “Even if you don’t care about Shen Yue’s life or whose body you’re in, you still have to cooperate with me. You have no choice.”

“I want to know why.”

Song Jin had come today to ask why. Previously, she cared about the body Shen Yue occupied, which originally belonged to her. Thus, she cared about Shen Yue’s life.

But after today’s events, Song Jin had an epiphany. Shen Yue’s life or death had nothing to do with her. As for her original body, she realized that the spirit, not the body, made her who she was. Even Yuan Bao recognized Shen Yue’s body as hers, despite the switch.

So, Master Song should be able to accept it too. Even if he couldn’t, things had already come to this point.

She had no choice. She bore grudges. After what Shen Yue did to her, how could she protect him? Impossible!

The Crown Prince looked at Song Jin, setting down the cup and tapping his finger on the table. His expression grew slightly serious.

“I’m interested in the heroine of the story.”

Just as Song Jin thought the Crown Prince would reveal some earth-shattering reason, he threw out this line.

Song Jin…

Her eye twitched as she looked at the Crown Prince incredulously. “That’s it?”

The Crown Prince smiled. “You should know, I initially intended to kill Shen Yue when he went to Yuzhou. But now, even though I have the chance, I haven’t.”

Song Jin was puzzled, listening attentively.

“Because of you, I changed my mind.”

Song Jin…

Am I really that influential?

“The kind of stories that only appear in novels are happening around me. Don’t you find it fascinating? I’ve read so many novels but never met real-life characters from one. I’m curious to see how the plot develops in real life.”

Song Jin…

“Afraid you’ll be disappointed.”

The Crown Prince shook his head. “As long as you bring me that painting, I won’t be disappointed.”

“If I get that painting, will you let me go?”

The Crown Prince raised an eyebrow. “Let you go?” He smiled. “If you insist on using that term, then yes. Get me the painting, and I’ll let you go.”

Song Jin stood up abruptly. “It’s a deal.”

The Crown Prince nodded, not moving. Song Jin turned and left.

As she walked away, the Crown Prince picked up a mandarin orange from the fruit plate and began peeling it, his eyes following her until she was out of sight. As soon as Song Jin left, the Crown Prince snapped his fingers, and a figure dressed in gray appeared.

“What have you found?”

The gray-clad man cupped his fists. “We can confirm that the girl lying in the Fourth Prince’s hidden chamber is the daughter of the Yuzhou merchant Song Dingzhong.”

He hesitated, his expression turning strange.

“Speak,” the Crown Prince said, biting into a segment of the mandarin orange, his voice cold.

The gray-clad man continued, “But according to our investigation, Song Dingzhong only has a son named Song Jin and no daughter. Last month, his son got married. Three days after the wedding, both he and his new wife drowned.”

Drowned?

The Crown Prince’s lips curved into a smile. The marriage was likely a cover for protecting Shen Yue, who was being pursued. As for the deaths… Shen Yue and Song Jin must have swapped bodies by then, and this fake death was a ruse to keep the switch secret.

As for Song Dingzhong having only a son for sixteen years and no daughter…

That meant Song Dingzhong had been raising his daughter disguised as a son for some untold reason. Song Dingzhong’s business was significant, that much he knew. There must be a life-threatening reason that prevented him from revealing his daughter’s true gender.

Song Dingzhong’s business was extensive, yet he never had another son. After his wife died, he didn’t remarry to have an heir. Strange, wasn’t it? Following the plot of a novel, Song Jin was probably not Song Dingzhong’s biological daughter. He must have had a good reason to raise her as a boy.

The Crown Prince rubbed his fingers together, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes. “Have you found out where Song Dingzhong is?”

The gray-clad man shook his head. “Not yet.”

“Keep looking.”

The gray-clad man cupped his fists and left.