The Command to Pamper the Husband - Chapter 178

This invincible expert in the art of pretense.

“Your Highness, did you come here today just to cure Shen Yue’s poison?” Song Jin tried to steer the conversation to the main topic.

The Crown Prince smiled gently at her. “What? Do you think I came here to cure Shen Yue’s poison? You really hurt my feelings. I came here especially to see you and to cure the poison in your body. What does this have to do with Shen Yue?”

Song Jin was exasperated. “Can you go three sentences without flirting with me?”

“Do you have any other business, Your Highness?” Leave already!

The Crown Prince spoke softly, “My visit to see you isn’t over yet. After all, love makes even the plainest look beautiful. How could I ever get enough of looking at you? How can you be so heartless as to drive me away? Have you no regard for my longing for you?”

Wan Xi, standing to the side, couldn’t help but retch. The Crown Prince glanced at her and said to Song Jin, “Is your maid pregnant?”

Song Jin felt her irritation rise. Wan Xi, on the other hand, nearly exploded but restrained herself due to the Crown Prince’s status. She glared at him, mentally cursing: You’re the one who’s pregnant! Your whole family is pregnant!

Just as Song Jin was about to get up to see this difficult Crown Prince off, he abruptly changed the subject. “The Third Prince was severely burned and is now unconscious. What are your plans next?”

Song Jin thought he was finally getting to the point, but then the Crown Prince added, “We are a couple, so I need to know your plans to coordinate. Moments of perfect understanding like today aren’t common.”

Song Jin couldn’t help but think, What kind of creature is he? Ignoring the Crown Prince’s last remark, Song Jin said calmly, “Minister Zhen has already gone to see Minister Zhao of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau.”

The Crown Prince mused this and then laughed. “Do you think that Minister Zhao alone can remove Shen Yue’s bad fortune, which supposedly clashes with the Emperor’s?”

Song Jin was surprised at the Crown Prince’s perceptiveness. He had guessed her intentions from just one sentence.

“Minister Zhao alone isn’t enough. But if we add the Fifth Prince’s people, it will be enough.”

The Crown Prince’s eyes shone with admiration. “The Fifth Prince?”

Song Jin nodded. “Thanks to your years of cultivating your persona, the court officials have completely given up the idea of supporting you. With the Third Prince’s fall, the fight for the throne is down to the Second Prince, the Fifth Prince, and me.

“The Fifth Prince has been underestimated by both the Second and Third Princes, but that doesn’t mean he has no plans of his own. Now that the Third Prince has fallen, the Fifth Prince will certainly seek to protect himself from the Second Prince. He needs a powerful ally, and you are his best option.”

The Crown Prince nodded. “So, you plan to clear Shen Yue’s name. Even if the Imperial Astronomical Bureau clears his bad fortune, the Emperor won’t suddenly like him. But with his name cleared, he could become a contender for the throne. The Second Prince would never allow that, especially since everyone now knows how close you are to me. The Second Prince’s sense of crisis will only grow.”

“Aren’t you afraid the Second Prince will come after you and you won’t be able to handle it?” the Crown Prince asked softly.

Song Jin was about to respond, but the Crown Prince spoke first. “Don’t worry, as long as I’m here, you won’t be in danger.”

He said it so gently. Song Jin thought, If he said that to any ordinary girl, her heart would probably melt. Unfortunately, she was in the body of a tall and burly man, and it was hard to digest the tenderness in his words.

The Crown Prince finished speaking, then stood up. “Since you plan to clear Shen Yue’s name, let’s proceed as you’ve arranged.”

With that, the Crown Prince left, his expression turning cold, completely different from the gentle demeanor he had just displayed. It was as if all his tenderness and flirtation were illusions, never real.

Song Jin was momentarily stunned. How could he switch his emotions so effortlessly, displaying whatever he wanted at any moment?

Just as Song Jin was lost in thought, the Crown Prince abruptly returned. He bent down and leaned close to Song Jin, their foreheads almost touching.

Softly, he asked, “Did you fall for me just now?”

Song Jin was startled. What the hell!

The Crown Prince stood up, tapped her forehead lightly with his finger, and said, “I’ll see you next time, be good.”

His last words were so heartfelt they reached deep inside her. With that, the Crown Prince left elegantly, as if he had urgent business to attend to.

Song Jin…

Wan Xi watched the Crown Prince leave, then moved closer to Song Jin, looking her over. Seeing Shen Yue’s appearance, Wan Xi frowned in frustration.

“Miss, does the Crown Prince like you or the Fourth Prince?”

What a troubling question.

Song Jin… Of course, she didn’t think the Crown Prince liked Shen Yue! If the Crown Prince had feelings for Shen Yue, he wouldn’t have tried to kill him before.

So, did the Crown Prince like her? Even less likely! The only explanation was that after reading romance novels for so many years, the Crown Prince found it refreshing to encounter a living storybook character.

In short, he was seeking excitement as the powerful often did! Damn excitement!

But what was the Crown Prince’s motive for helping her burn the Third Prince? Did he want to seize the throne himself and use her strength?

It felt unnecessary, given the Emperor’s affection for him. Wait, no. Although the Emperor liked the Crown Prince, the Crown Prince had neither a mother nor family backing him. The Crown Prince seemed always alone, without anyone to rely on.

Thinking this, Song Jin couldn’t help but wonder what made the Crown Prince adopt his obsession with romance novels. Was it simple love, or a necessity for survival?

The Second and Third Princes’ mothers were favored consorts in the palace. The Crown Prince, despite being the eldest, had no support. His status made him an easy target.

To survive, he had to adopt a persona of being indifferent and uncompetitive, deeply ingrained and not annoying to the Emperor. He couldn’t be seen as a playboy or useless because he still needed to openly cultivate his own people.

Did the young Crown Prince choose this persona himself, or was he guided by someone wise? If the Crown Prince adopted this persona to survive, Song Jin suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for him.

It must have been hard for someone so young to struggle just to stay alive.