Jiang Ning forced down her discomfort and said coldly, âThen I must speak the truth, Your Highness is not being very modest.â
Suddenly, Gucheng handed her a curved dagger.
âKill,â he said simply.
It seemed that even someone as innocent as him could no longer bear it.
Jiang Ning took the dagger, thought for a moment, and said, âKilling Prince Xinhai will have serious consequences.â
âCripple.â
âThatâs a good idea,â Jiang Ning said. âDonât forget to deal with the dozen or so people around, so they donât spread the news.â
Gucheng said, âTwo women, kill them too.â
Jiang Ning looked at the two women on the bed.
This time, they were no longer silent.
One of the women who was not in Prince Xinhaiâs arms immediately got up, knelt before Jiang Ning, kowtowing incessantly, âPlease, Lady, spare our lives. We are not from Silla, we are women of Great Sheng.â
Listening to their unmistakable Changâan accent, Jiang Ning frowned and asked, âIf youâre local women, why are you here with him?â
The woman hesitated before saying, âWe are from Clearwater Squareâ¦â
Jiang Ning had never heard of the name before, but she was aware of the Court of Music and its establishments.
Most of the women in the Court of Music were either there voluntarily due to poverty or were family members of convicted officials.
As lowly as their status was, they couldnât possibly escape, so they had to stay in the Court of Music for the rest of their lives, at the mercy of others.
Jiang Ning thought of the Wenren sisters and their children.
If it hadnât been for her help, all of the Wenren familyâs women would have been sent to the Court of Music as prostitutes, including the five or six-year-old girl.
Most of them were innocent victims.
Jiang Ning sighed and waved, âYou two put on your clothes and leave.â
The woman looked cautiously at Prince Xinhai.
Prince Xinhai said lazily, âThe Princess Consort is quite overbearing. I spent a lot of money on these women. And besides, I havenât been satisfied yet. If you let them go, then perhaps the Princess Consort can accompany me for the rest of the time. That, I would be willing to do.â
âYouâre not bad-looking, but youâre dreaming.â
Jiang Ning waved the dagger and looked at the two women. âThis is Great Zhou, Changâan City. Heâs just a foreigner, what are you afraid of? Get out of here now!â
The two women tentatively reached for their clothes.
âFine, Iâm tired of playing with you two anyway. Iâll give the Princess Consort a break, you two get lost,â said Prince Xinhai, withdrawing his hand.
Like theyâd been pardoned, the two women scrambled off the bed, grabbed their clothes, put them on, and ran out.
Prince Xinhai still wore only a robe.
He got off the bed, walked towards Jiang Ning, his eyes somewhat glazed, âBeautiful, Iâve missed you so much that it hurts. Come, Iâll make you happy. I want to take you back to Silla, make you the Princess Consort of Silla Kingdom, and one day, the Queen of Silla!â
Jiang Ning wanted to turn away and leave him for Gucheng to deal with, but if Gucheng didnât know the right amount of force to use and killed him, that would be a problem.
She thought for a moment and said to Gucheng, âGucheng, go outside and get that cowhide rope.â
Gucheng immediately fetched the rope that had not long ago been used to tie up Xiachu.
Although it had been cut, the cowhide rope was still highly elastic. Even in its two shorter pieces, it could securely bind Prince Xinhai.
Jiang Ning originally wanted to strip him, but knowing that it would frighten the children and dirty the eyes of the young girls, she asked for Guchengâs help in putting a pair of shorts on Prince Xinhai instead.