The Command to Pamper the Husband - Chapter 162

Song Jin sneered as she held the scroll and led the three consorts past the men in black. The men in black watched helplessly as the Fourth Prince walked by with the scroll. They couldn’t immediately snatch it away. Their hands gripped their swords tightly, their eyes fixed on Song Jin, ready to strike at any given chance.

The man who had injured his wrist bent down to pick up his sword with his other hand. “Fourth Prince, please leave the scroll.”

Song Jin turned back and looked at him mockingly. “Why? Because your wrist is ruined and you can no longer wield a sword with your right hand? Or because your master will no longer keep you?”

With a cold laugh, Song Jin added, “Someone like you will have nowhere to go. After all, no one wants to keep a cripple.”

Ignoring the man’s suddenly pale face, Song Jin turned and walked into the house. Even Shen Yue’s secret guards were momentarily stunned by her words.

They were angry that Song Jin had killed the divine physician and resented her, but the scene unfolding in front of them was oddly satisfying. After following Shen Yue for so many years, enduring humiliation and hardship, they had never felt as gratified as they did now, watching someone else suffer.

Wait. Something was wrong. What was Song Jin planning to do with the three consorts?

In the courtyard, Shen Yue’s secret guards exchanged puzzled glances, unable to guess Song Jin’s intentions. As for the men in black, the leader was enraged by Song Jin’s words, but he knew that the internal injury to his wrist would only worsen with anger. However, knowing this was one thing; controlling his anger was another.

After all, the Fourth Prince was right. His hand was ruined. Though he could still perform basic tasks, he could no longer wield a sword skillfully. As a death warrior, he had lost his means of survival. Furious, the man in black, holding his sword in his left hand, charged towards Shen Yue’s house.

Before Shen Yue’s secret guards could intervene, the other men in black stopped him. “What are you doing?”

“I’m going to kill him!”

“He has the scroll. If you kill him, the scroll will be destroyed too.”

“I don’t care. I’ll kill him!”

“If you destroy the scroll, your injury won’t be the only problem! His Highness will not spare you.”

Inside the house, Song Jin raised an eyebrow. So, the visitor was a prince after all. Who could it be? Certainly not the Crown Prince; he wouldn’t bother. As for the Second, Third, or Fifth Princes…

Song Jin turned and gave a cold look to the three consorts. The one who had been dragged on the ground woke up when she was jolted over the threshold, crying out in pain from the injuries.

“From the moment you entered my residence, you should have known that your best outcome would be to die peacefully,” Song Jin said in the darkness, startling the three consorts.

Consort Dou tried to speak but couldn’t find the words. What could she say in such a situation? The men outside were clearly sent by a prince, and each of them served different masters.

Seeing Shen Yue’s true attitude, with no pretense of courtesy, made it clear that he had no use for them anymore. Shivering from the cold, Consort Dou took a deep breath and spoke calmly, “Your Highness, we were forced into this. Given a choice, who would willingly spy for others?”

The other two consorts were shocked by her bluntness and looked at her in amazement. Consort Dou continued, “Sisters, there’s no need to be surprised. Our master understands this very well.”

With the room warming up, Consort Dou regained some composure and asked, “What do you want us to do, Your Highness?”

“And if I tell you, will you do it?” Song Jin asked.

Consort Dou smiled, “Your Highness overestimates us, but we will do what we can.”

Though her words were noncommittal, they helped ease the tension. Song Jin gave Consort Dou an appraising look but said nothing. She took the scroll and stepped outside, locking the door behind her.

In the courtyard, Shen Yue’s secret guards stood under the eaves, ready to defend. The men in black, however, did not attack.

Song Jin came out, and the secret guards made way for her. Holding the scroll, she stood and looked at the men in black. “Why haven’t you left? Aren’t you afraid that if you don’t leave now, you won’t be able to leave at all?”

The men in black had orders to retrieve the “Cloudy Jade Book Pavilion” scroll by dawn, at any cost. They couldn’t leave without it. Realizing they had been too cautious earlier, the men in black simultaneously charged at Song Jin, showing no concern for the scroll.

Song Jin took a step back as Shen Yue’s secret guards engaged the men in black again. The battle was fierce, with neither side willing to yield.

While the secret guards fought, Song Jin leisurely took out flint and a prepared oiled cloth. In the dry, cold winter, withered branches and leaves caught fire instantly. The previously dark courtyard was suddenly ablaze.

A row of trees planted along the wall of Shen Yue’s courtyard now burned fiercely, the flames reaching over the high wall.

Song Jin stopped the servants rushing to extinguish the fire. The flames roared into the sky.

“Perhaps killing them is difficult, but you can capture them. Alive or dead, as long as they’re here,” Song Jin ordered Shen Yue’s secret guards.

Despite their hatred for Song Jin, the secret guards followed her orders.

The men in black grew uneasy. What was the Fourth Prince planning? In the dark night of the capital, three officials who had just received the distress call were debating whether to respond. Seeing the fire, they were all shocked.

What was the Fourth Prince doing?

First, he roughly took the consorts away. Now, there was a fire in the residence… Was he trying to draw them in, or was there another motive?

Each official, from their respective courtyards, stared at the distant flames, hesitated, and sent their trusted aides to find out what was happening.