Wei was truly a dangerous place!
Jiang Taohua ran desperately forward, clutching the hem of her wedding dress, her face twisted in frustration as she screamed inwardly—how could a wild wolf appear on the streets of a major nation’s capital? She was here for a political marriage, not to be wolf feed! Was the capital guard just incompetent? Utterly useless!
“Princess, you go first!” Qingtai anxiously looked at the wolf pack fiercely chasing from behind, her face turning pale with fear: “I will stay with the guards to hold them off. Find a safe place, preferably somewhere high, and hide. I will come to get you with people later.”
“Got it!” Without a moment’s hesitation, Jiang Taohua dashed off at lightning speed. People scattered in all directions on the street, with doors and windows slamming shut everywhere. Exhausted from running, she tried knocking on doors, hoping someone would save her life, but no one answered.
What a cold and heartless country this is!
The heavy gold crown on her head and the cumbersome clothing were huge obstacles, making escape extremely difficult. Taohua simply shoved them all into a pile of bamboo baskets stacked by the roadside, leaving only a white dress with red trim adorned with a subtle peach blossom pattern. Light and free, she continued running ahead.
The howls of wolves grew fainter, and seeing that there was no one around anymore, she finally stopped, leaning against the back gate of a courtyard. Just as she was about to catch her breath, the door behind her unexpectedly swung open. Off-balance, Jiang Taohua tumbled into someone’s yard in an undignified, rolling heap.
Just an hour ago, she was still the noble princess who had traveled from the State of Zhao, carried onto the bridal carriage with a dignified and graceful demeanor, ready to marry the Southern Prince of the State of Wei. Never could she have imagined that, within the span of an hour, she would find herself tumbling headlong into some unknown, godforsaken place, covered in dirt and dust, with stars dancing before her eyes.
After catching her breath and raising her head, before she even had a chance to take in her surroundings, she saw the person in front of her staring at her in shock. Immediately, that person shouted toward the courtyard:
“Found her! That little minx is right here!”
The howl was so piercing that within moments, several people came rushing over, giving no chance for an explanation before slapping Jiang Taohua squarely on the back of her head.
It hurt—truly hurt! But the pain aside, wasn’t the spot wrong? She didn’t feel the slightest bit dizzy!
Seeing that escape was impossible anyway, and to avoid another slap, Jiang Taohua simply feigned fainting, letting them lift her up and carry her off to who knows where.
Along the way, Taohua still tried to find a chance to flee, but those around her gave her no opportunity whatsoever. They pushed open a door and entered a room, where someone pinched her mouth open and poured a medicinal brew down her throat.
Logically speaking, she should have spat out this medicine of uncertain efficacy, but strangely, the decoction was as sweet as snow fungus porridge, slipping into her mouth and making her, someone who hadn’t eaten all day, instinctively swallow.
Gulp.
It’s over.
Regretfully smacking her lips, Jiang Taohua opened her eyes with annoyance just a slit, only to see a few maids pulling at her clothes, and several plump women scurrying around her, urgently shouting: “Hurry, hurry, we’re going to be late!”
What, are you rushing to be reincarnated?
She desperately wanted to tell them they had probably mistaken her for someone else, but perhaps due to the effects of the medicinal soup, she couldn’t muster any strength in her limbs, and even opening her mouth felt difficult. Her clothes were torn off and replaced with a gaudy bright red silk robe. Then, the maids worked together to lift her onto the nearby large bed and covered her with a quilt.
The door creaked twice, and the people in the room filed out one by one, plunging the entire world into sudden silence.
Jiang Taohua, at the age of eighteen, was at a prime age for marriage. She originally had a childhood sweetheart, but fate wasn’t on their side—he was snatched away by her elder imperial sister. The emperor of Zhao was old, and the new empress interfered in government affairs, intending to establish the eldest princess as the successor. This caused constant strife in the court, unrest among the people, and a decline in the nation’s power. She and her imperial brother had no one to rely on, leaving her only one way out—to marry far away into the Great Wei Kingdom, in the hope of finding a slim chance of survival.
However, this glimmer of hope seemed to have been snuffed out today.
The room was filled with lingering fragrance. Taohua felt as if her body had suddenly dried up, starting from her abdomen and spreading all the way to her throat. Struggling to open her eyes in search of water, the first thing that came into view was an erotic painting!
“The flowers, too delicate to withstand the fervor of butterflies and bees, entrust their leaves and branches to the man.”
The painting depicted men and women engaged in intimacy, its imagery decadent and obscene. The only place that would hang such a painting was a brothel. And if she had been left here in this state, what awaited her?
Jiang Taohua felt utterly hopeless. Although chastity wasn’t something she held in particularly high regard, if she lost it before even stepping through the gates of the Southern Prince’s mansion, it would become far more difficult to gain entry.
Was this all a misunderstanding, or was someone deliberately trying to make her life difficult?
Faint rustling sounds came from inside the room, and beyond the layers of silk curtains, it seemed someone was approaching.
Though her reason continued to struggle, her body was brutally honest—like a spirit longing to feed on a man’s vitality, her gaze was fixed expectantly on the hand reaching through the curtain, ready to pounce at any moment.
It was truly a very beautiful hand, slender and fair, with what seemed like faint calluses on the fingertips, yet it did nothing to diminish its elegance. It lightly landed on her exposed shoulder, cool and icy, making her involuntarily turn her face to nuzzle against it.
“What a rare beauty indeed.”
His voice was low and deep, carrying an undertone she couldn’t quite understand. Jiang Taohua looked up somewhat dazedly, her blurred vision just managing to make out the silhouette of the newcomer—like a distant mountain after rain, cloaked in the crisp mist over a lake.
“You… who are you?”
That man sat at the edge of the bed, letting her rub against one of his hands, while the other elegantly undid his robe. His face was turned away from the candlelight, making his expression completely unreadable.
“Me?” He seemed to let out a light chuckle, then said, “Probably just a client.”
Jiang Taohua fell silent…
That answer was truly simple and direct, and it made her heart sink completely.
As a princess of the Zhao Kingdom, if she were to be defiled in a brothel, how would Changjue ever be able to hold her head up again when the news reached the kingdom?
No, she had to refuse!
With that thought in mind, Jiang Taohua mustered all her strength, intending to push away the person leaning in before her. But as her hand landed on their chest, she unexpectedly found herself pulling at their clothes, dragging them toward herself.
This medicine is truly shameless! To be so potent!
Watching helplessly as the person before her slowly pressed down, Jiang Taohua’s heart was roaring, and her movements stiffened slightly. Feeling their breath falling on the nape of her neck, sending tingles down her spine, she instinctively frowned and turned her head away.
“Since you’ve drunk the Soul-Dissolving Soup, don’t waste your energy. That medicine is powerful—no woman can resist it.” The man on top of her slowly lifted the brocade quilt, pressing his body against hers, his breathing suddenly growing heavy, his tone filled with teasing: “They say those skilled in the art of seduction find the Soul-Dissolving Soup even more unbearable.”
Her pupils contracted sharply. As she felt her scorching body completely enveloped by the man’s icy touch, Jiang Taohua took a sharp breath, fighting to keep her mind clear. “How do you know I can…”
“Shh, don’t speak.” He reached out, his rough palm wandering over her skin, his voice softening. “Too much talk isn’t a good thing for a woman. Tonight, all you need to do is serve me well.”
Serve your grandmother’s leg! Jiang Taohua couldn’t help but shout, “You must be out of your mind! I am the princess of Zhao… Mmm.”
Before she could finish speaking, her mouth was tightly covered by his hand. The wind blew in through the window, extinguishing the lamp by the bedside, plunging the room into darkness. Frowning, Taohua could only see a pair of faintly glowing eyes.
“You have to be obedient,” he said. “Do you want to serve me alive, or be possessed by me dead? Choose one.”
The internal heat was now uncontrollable. Though her mind wanted to think a little longer, her body had already pressed against him. As her burning body brushed against the coolness, Taohua couldn’t help but let out a soft moan.
This voice is soft and gentle, like a cat’s paw scratching at the heart.
The man atop her paused for a moment, then let out a soft chuckle before beginning to roam freely over her body.
In the Kingdom of Zhao, women, whether commoners or royalty, would begin practicing seduction techniques from the age of fifteen. Thus, Jiang Taohua was well-versed in how to please a man in the bedroom. Most people learned these arts only superficially, merely seeking to satisfy their future husbands. But Taohua was different—she studied deeply, with the goal of controlling men and using them to her advantage.
This man before her was her first prey.
However, the situation seemed to be quite different from what she had imagined.
