Chapter 72 She said he couldn't tolerate anyone, could it be that she...?

"Miss, lunch is here. Please eat a little less and save room for a big meal this afternoon!"

Pan Tao brought plates of dishes into the house again.

Jiang Shuifu yawned, dressed neatly, and lazily rolled over in bed.

Since her body was seen naked the day before yesterday, she has become much more obedient and no longer lies naked in the house. Moreover, with the ice chest, the summer days are not so unbearable.

Shen Jizhao said that he would be back at 5 PM today, and when he returned, he would start roasting meat for her, and she could just have something simple for lunch.

Jiang Shuifu felt refreshed and had a rare good night's sleep yesterday. The temperature was just right, and she slept until the end of the Wei hour (1-3 PM). The Ice Mirror is truly a wonderful thing.

After a quick lunch, Jiang Shuifu went for a walk in the courtyard. There were many more guards in the courtyard, carrying wild game, washing and cutting it, preparing for the roasting later.

She looked around several times; there was pork, mutton, ...

But she wasn't satisfied and spoke up:

"I want to eat rabbit meat!"

Perhaps having learned from past mistakes, the guards dared not speak to her, fearing that they might suffer a terrible fate.

Seeing that they ignored her, Jiang Shuifu instead rolled her eyes slyly, cleared her throat, and struck a pose:

"I'm going out to hunt rabbits to eat. The only rabbit meat I'll eat is the kind that I hunt myself. You don't know that I'll be right back. You don't need to come with me."

As soon as she finished speaking, she walked confidently out the door with the peaches. The guards who were busy processing meat did not chase after her to stop her as she had expected. She was a little puzzled, but she still secretly smiled and got the upper hand.

Do they think they're so skilled in martial arts that they can catch her immediately even if she runs away, and that she's nothing to fear? Not necessarily!

But what happened next made her smirk freeze instantly. Without Shen Jizhao's permission, how could she possibly get out?

Just a moment before she stepped out of the courtyard gate, rows of guards suddenly appeared on the wall. Their heads peered out with fierce eyes, clearly warning her not to make any rash moves.

So there were people guarding outside. He really thinks highly of her, sending so many people just to watch over a weak woman like her!

Jiang Shuifu stomped her foot angrily, then climbed up the pomegranate tree again using the swing. The guards on the wall immediately became more alert and stared at her intently, as if they were afraid she was trying to escape by climbing over the wall.

The peaches below kept urging her to come down, saying it was too high and what if she fell?

Jiang Shuifu climbed to the top of the forked tree trunk. At this height, she could breathe in some fresh air. The life of being a lazybones every day was not suitable for her. She was naturally active and couldn't stand this kind of loneliness.

She climbed up the wall using both her hands and feet, and there happened to be a tree trunk leaning against the top of the wall, connecting to the vast world outside. She carefully moved a few steps in that direction, and it looked like she was about to cover the bricks on the top of the wall.

The peach was shocked, and tears streamed down her face: "Miss, please don't escape! The peach is still here!"

Doesn't the young lady want her anymore?

The words "prison break" instantly caught the attention of all the guards in the courtyard. In an instant, their eyes sharpened, and they all turned to look at her.

The guards on the wall even picked up a hidden dart and threatened her.

Jiang Shuifu was speechless. Was she really that stupid? The next moment, a powerful and authoritative voice exploded in her ears:

"Shuifu, what are you doing?"

The voice maintained its usual coldness, yet a hint of sinister anger could still be detected within it.

She slipped and fell.

Jiang Shuifu knew she wouldn't fall, and sure enough, Shen Jizhao caught her precisely. Afraid she would really run away, he reluctantly bounced her around in his arms, refusing to put her down.

His tone was gentle, his gaze tender and probing:

"Am I late? Are you getting impatient waiting?"

Jiang Shuifu knew what he was thinking, so she waved a large bunch of pomegranate flowers in front of him and explained:

"I went to pick flowers. Pomegranate flowers are edible too. But you're right, I won't wait for you. I hate the word 'wait' the most!"

Before, she had always been waiting for him, waiting for him to come home, waiting for him to visit her...

Shen Jizhao recalled the past events related to that word. Knowing he was in the wrong, he put her down, looked at her with guilty eyes, and whispered an apology:

"It was my oversight. From now on, I won't make you wait. I will definitely come back soon."

Jiang Shuifu snorted at him a few times and turned away disdainfully: "What's the use? I'm just a prisoner. Prisoners have no freedom. They can only accept whatever punishment their master gives them!"

Shen Jizhao lowered his eyes and did not respond to her probing.

However, he said he would bake it for her himself, and he kept his word, rolling up his sleeves and starting to bake.

The meat in his hand was cut into small pieces, skewered, and he skillfully grilled it piece by piece, trying his best to ensure that all the pieces of meat were grilled evenly.

However, he underestimated the difficulty of roasting, especially for a prince who had never cooked before.

The meat he grilled was either burnt in some places or raw in others; despite having so many skewers of meat in his hand, not a single one was fully cooked.

Feeling a little guilty, he kept glancing at the woman admiring the pomegranate blossoms and red fingernails, secretly throwing away the burnt meat and continuing to grill the next skewer.

He grilled skewer after skewer, and finally, practice made perfect, and he figured out the tricks of the trade. Just then, the guard returned with the wild rabbit he had caught.

Shen Jizhao suddenly remembered something, and his eyes lit up: "Shuifu, I caught a rabbit for you. I've prepared it for you. Would you like to roast it?"

Jiang Shuifu looked listless, constantly rubbing her red nail polish. She didn't want to do anything that would dirty her hands, especially since she wasn't in the mood.

"No, I can't even climb trees or pick flowers. My only purpose is to be exploited by you at night. I'm already a useless person. A useless person should recognize their limitations, tie their hands, feet, and mouth, and hide under the covers waiting for you to come back!"

Shen Jizhao knew that she was tired of being locked up and wanted to go out for some fresh air, but her choice of words was inaccurate.

Exploit him? Tie him up? Hide him and wait for him to come back?

Surprisingly, his eyes gradually darkened. Could he really play like this?

Jiang Shuifu thought she was right. Every night when he was sleeping, he stared at her all over like a hungry wolf, wishing he could find an opportunity to devour her. She could feel it.

Upon hearing this, Pan Tao and Jin Qing blushed. They never expected that His Highness the Crown Prince would be so perverted in private, exploiting them every day and even playing bondage games.

Shen Jizhao had no choice but to roast the meat himself. After roasting the mutton and pork, he started roasting the rabbit. He roasted the rabbit with great care, his eyes almost never leaving it, and turning it over every few breaths.

Jiang Shuifu followed Pan Tao to the swing by herself. The swing went very high, and she was very happy, enjoying this feeling of flying freely, just like riding a horse.

But her smile didn't reach her eyes; she genuinely missed her younger sister and family.

No, she needs to go out. We can't keep wasting time with him like this.

However, forcing the issue definitely won't work...

It was already quite dark outside, and the sultry summer evening breeze blew by, causing the fruits and vegetables in the yard to sway and move, creating a very pleasant scene.

The chicks chirped incessantly, seemingly drawn by the aroma of roasted meat, circling around Chen Jizhao and raising their heads as if eager to eat.

Shen Jizhao smiled faintly. His meat was already roasted, and it looked and smelled delicious. Even the livestock were tempted by the aroma. So he immediately took the plate and sent it to Jiang Shuifu as if he wanted to take credit.

"Shuifu, try this roasted rabbit."

Jiang Shuifu accepted the fruits of his two-hour roasting without any hesitation. It was a large plate full of all kinds of meat, and she was indeed quite hungry.

She first handed a few skewers of peaches to eat, and then she ate a skewer of lamb in one hand and a skewer of rabbit meat in the other.

Shen Jizhao stared intently at her expression, afraid that she might frown and think it wasn't tasty.

But she still frowned and spat out the piece of meat she had bitten into.

"Pah! This is awful, it tastes fishy all over. How did you even cook this?! You can't even cook something this simple, and you still say you want to pursue me! You have no sincerity at all! Even the Crown Prince is nothing special, not even as good as He..."

Shen Jizhao's eyes darkened instantly, focusing intently, and shot towards her with sharp intensity.

Is he not as good as He Beiqing?

How could he, the Crown Prince, who is second only to the Emperor, be inferior to him! He can definitely do it!

Jiang Shuifu stopped herself in time, otherwise he would have gone crazy again. She pushed him away and started roasting the rabbit herself.

Shen Jizhao stumbled as she pushed him, his eyes swirling with unease, a dampness of jealousy.

The mention of other men shattered his sense of security he had been feeling lately. He paused, then slowly and solemnly walked towards her, bent down, gazed at her, and spoke each word of his unease, pleading for her comfort:

"Shuifu, don't be like this. To tell you the truth, I'm a little scared. I'm afraid you'll keep thinking about him and missing him. So, I banished him to a remote place. He won't come back. I've done my best. If you don't like the taste, I'll keep learning and cook it for you when I'm good. Don't mention him anymore, or I'm afraid I won't be able to resist killing him!"

Jiang Shuifu rolled her eyes. It was true. He was utterly shameless, speaking forcefully in a humble manner.

She immediately grabbed a handful of roasted meat and shoved it into his mouth to shut him up.

"Hurry up and eat. You're threatening to beat and kill me. I don't know how you got your reputation for being virtuous. You're clearly narrow-minded and full of dark tricks! You can't tolerate anyone! Someone like you, chasing after people?"

Shen Jizhao moved closer to her, staring at her with a strange look in his eyes:

"What kind of person are you? I only have you, shouldn't you reciprocate? Do you want to have women on both sides? If you dare, I'll make your life a living hell, and you'll never be able to step out of your room again!"

Jiang Shuifu became impatient with him again, wishing she could sew his mouth shut. However, she had never really thought about having two women on her left and one on her right.

But that didn't stop her from arguing with him:

"So men are allowed to have women on both sides, but we women aren't?"

He sounded a little aggrieved, and said in a drawn-out tone, "I only have you. If you think I don't know how to pursue someone, then tell me, how should I pursue someone?"

She stopped talking, and his eyes remained fixed on the roasted rabbit in her hand. Her cooking skills were excellent; just the smell made his mouth water.

Jiang Shuifu was an expert, so she baked it quickly. In no time, she had baked one, ate half of it herself, and shared the other half with the peach.

Shen Jizhao could only watch them eat.

Soon, she had roasted half a rabbit again. This time, she held the roasted rabbit to her mouth, then hesitated, a flicker in her eyes, before generously tossing it to him.

"Here you go! You got lucky with the burnt one!"

Shen Jizhao was somewhat flattered that he was included!

She actually took his feelings into consideration!

She's being nice to him!

This rabbit isn't burnt at all; it smells absolutely delicious!

He really wanted to eat the rabbit she roasted. The last time he had it was during the royal hunt, but he had used it to shut Tang Shan'er up, and he hadn't even had a few bites. He really missed the taste.

He will never again carelessly give away what she gave him! He will cherish it!

But when he took a bite, it really was mushy!

His expression froze for a moment, then he resumed eating heartily. So what if it's burnt? No one else can eat it anyway! Only he can!

The fact that he could feed her porridge shows that she cares about him!

The rabbit was devoured by the man in no time, but the more he ate, the more uneasy he felt. His intuition told him that her kindness was not something easily obtained.

Inside the room, Jinqing smoothed out the letter, frowned, and said:

"Your Highness, it seems they are about to make their move."

Shen Jizhao pondered the contents of the paper for a long time, then picked up a brush and briefly circled them before dismissing him.

The storm is inevitable, and the enemy, who will fight to the death, deserves a final and complete end.

Outside the window, a girl was happily swinging on a swing, eating roasted meat, her smile as bright as a flower, carefree and unrestrained. He felt that no scenery could compare to her smile.

Exquisitely beautiful, with unparalleled charm, a woman like her deserves to sit on the throne that every woman in the world desires!

He used to think she wasn't good enough for him, but now he desperately wanted to take that position and give it to her!

We still hope she accepts it!

He continued to pick up his pen, the tip flying across the paper, each stroke like a painting. Every smile and frown of the figures on the paper seemed to be blown into his embrace, and the smile on his lips never stopped.

That night, Jiang Shuifu started making a fuss. He had said it before: her kindness was never sudden; there must have been a purpose behind it.

She clutched her stomach and waved it in front of him, her expression contorted in a fake grimace.

"Shen Jizhao, I've eaten too much. I want to go out for a walk. Will you take me with you?"

Shen Jizhao ignored her advances and continued sketching with his precious calligraphy brush.

"I will fetch a doctor for you. Don't worry, he's just two miles away."

She stomped her foot, moved closer to him, and stared at him: "I don't want to. I'll be fine after a little movement. If you're worried, just come with me! Do you think I'd run away right under your nose?"

He still didn't respond, but finally stopped fiddling with his pen, put it down, and walked towards her step by step. He reached out and placed his hand on her stomach, and sighed.

"Let me rub it for you, that will make you feel better."

Jiang Shuifu was truly at her wit's end. She slapped his hand away, stormed off to bed, and started reading a storybook. He wouldn't listen to reason with her; it was a complete waste of her roasted rabbit!

That night, as Shen Jizhao slept, the bed, which was originally only a third of the way across, seemed to shrink smaller and smaller until, with a "bang," she kicked him off! She then occupied the bed all by herself.

Helpless, he could only sleep on the small couch.

The woman inside the bed curtains was still engrossed in her storybook. He thought for a moment, then, with his eyes closed, he casually said to her:

"If you go to bed early and stop reading storybooks, and then get up for breakfast tomorrow, I'll consider it."

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Author's Note: Pursuing a wife has three stages: abandoning pride and breaking rules; being devoted and attentive, repaying kindness tenfold; prioritizing everything and protecting her with one's life. [Dog head holding a rose][Dog head holding a rose][Dog head holding a rose]