Jin Muze shook his head a couple of times, and suddenly some images flashed into his mind: the image of him being drugged and escaping, the image of him scaling a wall and breaking into a house, the image of him climbing through a window into a woman's boudoir, the image of him pinning a woman to the ground and biting her...
'How could I have done something so heinous? Is this that woman's room?'
Jin Muze thought that he would kneel down and apologize to her when he saw her. He would take responsibility for her if she was willing, but he probably wouldn't be able to give her what she wanted.
He's a cold-blooded and heartless man who never intended to marry, but now that he's done such a thing, I can't let anything happen to this woman. If he can't stand it and commits suicide, then I'll be committing a terrible sin.
After waking up, Gong Yunxiao heard a noise from the next room and came over. When Jin Muze saw Gong Yunxiao, he subconsciously wanted to bow, but his hands and feet were restricted by being tied up.
Is this the Prince's residence? So, did he bully some princess? Damn it, he doesn't want to be a prince consort.
Jin Muze looked very unwell; becoming the imperial son-in-law meant he could no longer serve in the Dali Temple.
"Your Highness, I was drugged with aphrodisiacs and did not mean to offend you. May I ask which princess it is? I wish to apologize to her in person. If the princess is willing, I am willing to pay with my life."
He would rather die than become a prince consort confined to the backyard, even though it was irresponsible. He simply couldn't bear to stay in the princess's backyard forever.
"We'll settle the 100,000 taels of silver." Gong Yunxiao's face was very unpleasant, and he looked down on Jin Muze.
Although he mistakenly believed that he was forcing a princess, he still wanted to shirk responsibility. Such a man is despicable. His royal sisters are so good, why should he look down on them?
"Thank you, Your Highness. I will have someone send the silver notes over as soon as I get back."
One hundred thousand taels of silver is no small sum for Jin Muze, but as long as he can save his life and avoid becoming a prince consort, the money is well worth it.
"Yunxiao, where are you?" Fang Xiyue asked when she woke up and didn't see Gong Yunxiao.
Gong Yunxiao and Jin Muze fell silent upon hearing the voice. "You climbed out the window. Have your servants deliver the silver notes; you don't need to come over. Also, from now on, pretend this never happened. I hope you won't mention it again."
After Gong Yunxiao finished speaking, he turned around and walked out. "I'm here. Why did you run downstairs without wearing shoes?" Gong Yunxiao picked up Fang Xiyue and carried her back to the bed. After cleaning her feet, he put on socks and shoes for her.
Jin Muze hadn't even left yet when he realized that the prince had almost forced himself on the princess. The prince was already being very merciful by not killing him. Judging from the prince's tone of voice, one could tell how much he doted on the princess.
Jin Muze freed himself from the ropes binding him, pushed open the window, and climbed out. He would keep this matter to himself and never mention it to anyone.
Not long after he returned, he sent a servant to deliver silver notes to the Prince's mansion. Jin Muze's mother was furious when she found out that he had sent out 100,000 silver notes and came to find him.
"Where did you go last night? You didn't come back all night, and today you sent out another 100,000 taels of silver. What wrong have you done!"
Have all those years of studying been for nothing? You're now the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review; countless eyes are watching you.
"Our family has made so many enemies, you're just handing them a handle to use against us! Tell me! Did you give this money to some vixen outside?!" Jin's mother said, hitting Jin Muze with her hand.
"Then I didn't. I was drugged when I went out yesterday. It was Prince Xiao who saved me and let me stay in the Prince's mansion for one night. The 100,000 taels were for my treatment."
Jin Muze didn't tell his mother about how he almost forced himself on the princess, otherwise she would have locked him in the ancestral hall and whipped him. He still had cases to solve and couldn't stay home to recover.
"What can I say to you? Haven't I told you not to eat food from outside? Why won't you listen?"
Hearing that her son had been drugged and the cost of 100,000 taels of silver was estimated to be a very potent poison, Jin's mother felt sorry for her son.
"Mother, I didn't eat anything indiscriminately, and I'm not sure how I got the medicine, but it definitely wasn't something I ate."
Jin Muze felt that the drug must have come into contact with something, just like a sedative that can be inhaled.
"Son, you need to be careful out there. You're not getting any younger. Hurry up and find a wife for your mother. I'm worried sick every day."
"Our family has had only one son for nine generations. If you don't get married, our family line will end. I've found a few young ladies for you; take a look."
Madam Jin asked the maid to bring over the portraits of the young ladies. Suddenly, Jin Muzhe's mind was filled with images from last night. That beautiful face suddenly flashed into his mind, and his heart pounded violently.
The prince dotes on the princess so much; if it were him, he certainly wouldn't want to see the beauty shed tears of sorrow. However, the princess belongs to the prince, and he cannot covet her.
He would be willing to marry a woman like a princess, but with a princess already in the picture, how could he possibly be interested in any other woman?
He reached up and touched the wound on his head. The princess was really ruthless, but he truly admired her for being able to save herself in that situation.
Jin Muze raised his hands and made a pinching motion in the air. Uh, why does he remember everything? He even remembers the feel of the touch. How can he forget that?!
"Mother, I have business to attend to at the Dali Temple, so I'll be leaving now." Jin Muze stood up and rushed out, not even bothering to glance at the portrait.
Jin's mother stood there dejectedly. Her son was already twenty-five and still not married. Other people's grandchildren were already running around everywhere. Sigh.
——
"Yueyue, stay in this teahouse today and don't go out. The results of the imperial examination came out yesterday, and today the top three scholars will parade through the streets. There will definitely be a lot of people."
Chu Xingyan and Song Yifan had been staying at the Prince's Mansion for the past few days. Today, they took Fang Xiyue out to play and only found out what was going on after hearing the commotion.
They had also heard about the scientific expedition results, but they weren't very interested; they only knew that the three men were exceptionally handsome.
They say the same thing every year, but after seeing it, you realize it's not true. I guess their identities have clouded their judgment.
Every time, the shops on both sides of the road are packed with customers. Many girls who want to become their wives will throw flowers and handkerchiefs down from the upper floors just so that they can look up and see them. Maybe that way they will be noticed.
Fang Xiyue said she wouldn't go out, but she still wanted to take a look. She was very curious about how the top three in the scientific expedition had their brains, and whether they had anything extra about them.
She opened the window facing the street and peered out. Just then, three people on horseback, adorned with large red flowers, turned around.
The man in the lead was about twenty-one or twenty-two years old. It was already quite remarkable that he could become the top scholar at that age.
The man was indeed very handsome, even more so than the third-ranked scholar. If it weren't for his exceptional literary talent, he might have been the third-ranked scholar this year.
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