The Command to Pamper the Husband - Chapter 165

Song Jin rolled her eyes. “Let’s wait until we actually attract Minister Zhen. But right now, there’s something more important than Minister Zhen. That painting…”

Just as Song Jin was speaking, she saw a minor officer from the Jingwei Camp approaching and stopped talking. The minor officer stood obsequiously before the Crown Prince.

“Your Highness, the fire has been put out.”

The Crown Prince wore a satisfied expression. “Good work. Go back and write a detailed report to submit.”

The minor officer immediately understood the Crown Prince’s meaning, gratefully bowed, and left swiftly with his men. Song Jin watched them leave and smirked.

“People say the Crown Prince doesn’t form cliques or engage in favoritism, but if the Duke knew you ignored such a high-ranking figure like him and chose to recruit a minor officer instead, what would he think?”

The Crown Prince smiled at Song Jin, his voice warm. “What he thinks has nothing to do with me. I’m only interested in what you think.”

He was teasing her again!

“Does Brother enjoy teasing his subjects?” Song Jin turned and asked the Crown Prince directly.

The Crown Prince was taken aback by her question, then laughed heartily and patted Song Jin on the head. This time, he moved so suddenly that Song Jin couldn’t dodge it.

“Yes, it’s quite amusing!”

Amusing, my foot.

“I didn’t expect Brother to like such things, but I don’t. Sorry to disappoint you. But don’t worry, I’ll make sure to send a handsome young man to your residence in the future.”

The Crown Prince laughed and looked at Song Jin. “In the dead of winter, in the middle of the night, do you really want to flirt with me in the courtyard?”

“If we’re going to flirt, wouldn’t it be better to go inside?”

She wanted to throw him out, but there was the matter of the painting. Firstly, she had promised to steal it for the Crown Prince, and secondly, she had too many questions and doubts about it.

Suppressing her annoyance, Song Jin said to Wang Liu, “Take those three inside first.”

Wang Liu immediately complied. Seeing Wang Liu take the men away, the Crown Prince clicked his tongue and entered the room.

“Facing three opponents alone, you really have a strong taste.”

Song Jin rolled her eyes and shut the door, blocking out the cold winter air.

The Crown Prince looked around the room and then at Song Jin. “Was that just now Shen Yue’s secret guard?”

Song Jin knew he was referring to Wang Liu and shook her head. “No.”

“Your own person?”

“Yes.”

The Crown Prince frowned. His informants reported that Song Jin only brought a food-loving maid named Wan Xi when she entered the capital, with no secret guards. How did this person suddenly appear?

What was the plot direction now? The sudden appearance of Wang Liu was beyond the Crown Prince’s control.

“Did Song Dingzhong arrange it for you, or did you choose him yourself?” The Crown Prince didn’t shy away from mentioning Song Dingzhong by name.

Song Jin was stunned and looked at the Crown Prince in surprise. He knew! Then she relaxed. It wasn’t surprising that the Crown Prince knew. After all, he had guessed their body-swapping from reading storybooks. What couldn’t he figure out?

“Arranged,” Song Jin said calmly.

The Crown Prince raised his eyebrows. Song Dingzhong arranged it?

His men had followed Shen Yue to the capital and knew he had secret guards, but not Song Jin. How did this guard get into the capital? Where had he been before? Why did he suddenly appear now?

A series of questions flashed through the Crown Prince’s mind. He suddenly remembered that when Song Jin visited his residence yesterday, his attendants reported that the person following Fourth Prince wasn’t Lu Zhan. So, this person appeared yesterday?

He hadn’t noticed. Unacceptable.

The Crown Prince sighed softly and shook his head. This didn’t fit the male protagonist’s character!

Song Jin had no idea what nonsense was running through the Crown Prince’s mind. She poured a cup of tea, invited him to sit, and asked, “Brother, I have obtained the painting you wanted me to steal. But can you tell me why you wanted it?”

The Crown Prince collected his thoughts. “Did you look at it?”

Song Jin nodded, knowing he was referring to the painting.

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

Song Jin looked at him, unable to figure out what he was thinking. “It’s quite mystical.”

The Crown Prince laughed heartily. “That painting was done by the late Empress.”

He paused. “I mean my Imperial Aunt, not the Empress Dowager. You know, right?”

The Crown Prince suddenly stopped talking and stared at Song Jin. “Do you know how she became the late Empress?”

Song Jin shook her head, her heart racing. Was the Crown Prince going to tell her about her mother?

The Crown Prince’s mouth twitched. “Because she died, so she became the late Empress, not the current one.”

Song Jin nearly spat blood.

“Brother, why did you want me to steal that painting?” Song Jin restrained her urge to punch the Crown Prince and brought the topic back.

The Crown Prince looked at Song Jin intently. “What if I said it was to keep you by my side? Would you believe it?”

She really wanted to vomit blood. Talking to this guy was so exhausting!

“If you don’t want to say, forget it. I can ask someone else,” she said.

The Crown Prince snorted. “Someone else? Whatever they know, I know. Whatever they don’t know, I also know.”

Did anyone else read as much as he did? Ridiculous!

“But others will tell me the truth.”

The Crown Prince sneered. “The truth? Besides me, others won’t even talk to you, let alone tell you the truth. What gives you the confidence to think they will?”

The Crown Prince looked at her with the expression of someone seeing a thankless wretch. “Besides, how do you know I’m not telling the truth?”

Truth, my foot!

“I said I wanted to keep you by my side. What’s untrue about that?” The Crown Prince’s eyes gleamed with teasing ambiguity. “Or did you misunderstand my words, Jin’er?”

The Crown Prince suddenly changed how he addressed Song Jin. Calling her Jin’er directly.

Song Jin was momentarily stunned, staring at the Crown Prince in shock.

The Crown Prince smiled. “Your father is Song Dingzhong. Isn’t it appropriate for me to call you Jin’er, Jin’er?”

Her heart surged with shock and goosebumps.

It took her a whole cup of tea’s time to digest this new term: Jin’er. Her eye twitched.

“Brother is truly knowledgeable.”

The Crown Prince smiled. “To earn Jin’er’s praise is satisfying enough.”

He shook his robe. “That painting, ‘Cloudy Jade Book Pavilion,’ did you see the person in the pavilion?”

Crown Prince, can you speak normally? Always catching people off guard. When others ask questions, you don’t answer. When they are stunned, you shock them with your words.