Women disguised as men went to the battlefield and the emperor bowed down in submission.

He imagined Lin Ruoshui kissing his cheeks and neck.

Imagine her big, bright eyes looking up at you.

Lost in his imagination, Baili Heng let out a pleasant sigh. The little eunuch outside thought to himself, "I didn't expect the Crown Prince to be so constipated."

After a long while, Baili Heng's eyes welled up with tears. In his imagination, he had Lin Ruoshui. The two were perfectly compatible, and he felt an unprecedented sense of joy.

He felt like the happiest person in the world, and tears of joy streamed down his face, landing in his mouth where he could even taste a hint of sweetness.

Finally, he found liberation, and he was no longer the carefree person he once was. He longed to see Lin Ruoshui again, to see her as beautiful as a lotus emerging from the water, to drape her robe over his shoulders again, to be poisoned by her again, to go mad for her again, and again…

The man who once had no desires or wants became insanely crazy because of Lin Ruoshui.

……

When Lin Ruoshui arrived at the prison, the damned bailiffs had already begun the execution. They had already struck five out of fifty times. After Lin Ruoshui entered, she glared at the bailiffs with murderous intent. Then, starting from the sixth strike, the bailiffs began to gently tap Xuan Yuan Yu's back, as if giving him a massage.

Lin Ruoshui said, "Hurry up and finish, we need to get back for lunch."

The constable, his face darkening, replied, "Yes, Princess."

He said to finish quickly, and he really did. Xuanyuan Yu felt comfortable all over from the beating. He turned around and smiled at the yamen runner, saying, "I didn't expect that the military rod could have a hypnotic effect. I'll come to you for a massage when I have insomnia in the future."

The constable smiled wryly and said, "I am extremely honored."

……

Lin Ruoshui pulled Xuan Yuanyu out of the prison and asked him, "Does your back hurt?"

Xuanyuan Yu said, "It doesn't hurt."

Lin Ruoshui pulled him behind the artificial hill, tore off his clothes, and saw several red and swollen spots. It must be because he had been hit hard with five lashes before. She leaned over, gently blew on them, and said, "Blowing on them will make it stop hurting. I'll put some medicine on you when we get back."

Xuanyuan Yu pulled Lin Ruoshui into the artificial hill, where the dim light created an ambiguous atmosphere.

Lin Ruoshui said, "I'm so sorry, I almost caused you trouble." Xuan Yuanyu put his finger to Lin Ruoshui's mouth, signaling her not to continue.

Lin Ruoshui stopped speaking, and neither of them moved, but they could hear each other's rapid heartbeats.

Xuanyuan Yu said, "I now want to prove whether you like me or not."

Lin Ruoshui said, "I don't even know myself, how can you prove it?"

When Xuanyuan Yu approached her, Lin Ruoshui sensed something was wrong; something bad was about to happen.

Lin Ruoshui kicked Xuan Yuan Yu and tried to run away, but Xuan Yuan Yu grabbed her ankle, making her unable to move.

Then came the sound of their breathing being blocked. Lin Ruoshui felt that the leg she was standing on had gone numb. Xuan Yuan Yu had not let go yet. She kicked her leg, trying to break free from Xuan Yuan Yu.

Xuanyuan Yu was not about to give her a chance. He said, "It's about time. Let's see if you love me or not."

Before Lin Ruoshui could scream, Xuan Yuanyu covered her mouth with his large hand.

Xuanyuan Yu was very pleased and whispered in Lin Ruoshui's ear, "Look, your body is very honest, but your mouth is dishonest, so I will punish you."

Lin Ruoshui felt like she was about to be suffocated by his large hand. She struggled to get up, and two streams of hot tears flowed down her face.

Xuanyuan Yu felt the dampness on his palm, stopped, and picked up Lin Ruoshui in a princess carry. He said, "I was wrong, don't cry."

Lin Ruoshui didn't know what was wrong with her; tears just kept flowing.

She felt a little wronged, a little ashamed, and a little helpless.

She couldn't remember who had offended whom. As their relationship deepened and their physical contact increased, she felt afraid and uneasy, perhaps due to the lingering trauma of being wronged in her past life.

Xuanyuan Yu carried Lin Ruoshui back to Lingyu Palace. In the back hall of Lingyu Palace, there was a hot spring that was even larger than that of Longxi Palace.

Xuanyuan Yu prepared to undress Lin Ruoshui, only to discover that she was wearing a man's brocade robe. He approached Lin Ruoshui and asked suspiciously, "Whose clothes are these?"

Lin Ruoshui looked at it and said, "This belongs to Baili Heng, the Crown Prince of Lanling Kingdom. I ran into him when I came out of the lotus pond. He saw that I was soaking wet, so he lent me his outer robe."

"He gave it to you, and you put it on?" Xuan Yuan Yu narrowed his eyes.

"Brother, I'm soaked to the bone, my clothes are sticking to my body. If I don't use his clothes to cover myself, how can I save you in time?" Lin Ruoshui argued.

"So you're saying that bastard saw it all?" Xuan Yuan Yu's anger flared. "I'd rather take fifty lashes than see you wearing that bastard's clothes."

"Xuanyuan Yu, you're the one who pushed me into the lotus pond and soaked me to the bone. You're so unreasonable and stingy."

"You say I'm stingy?" Xuan Yuan Yu's expression kept changing.

"Your Highness is so magnanimous," Lin Ruoshui said, her survival instincts kicking in as she changed her tone.

"I am very unhappy today. Zhao Mingxuan, Chu Wan'er, and Baili Heng have made me very unhappy," Xuanyuan Yu said.

"Chu Wan'er is a woman, and you're angry too?"

"No one but you can touch my body, nor can anyone else." Xuan Yuan Yu crossed his arms and put them in his sleeves.

Lin Ruoshui mentally beat Xuan Yuanyu a hundred times over.

"Okay, okay, I'm a troublemaker, alright? Stop being angry. From now on, we'll switch back every morning so you won't have to bother me with this and that. It's so annoying." Lin Ruoshui's voice grew softer and softer until it became a soliloquy.

Xuanyuan Yu had excellent hearing; he heard every word she said.

He used his inner strength to prepare to turn Lin Ruoshui's outer robe into powder, but he used too much force and even Lin Ruoshui's inner garment turned into powder. Lin Ruoshui felt a chill all over her body. She lowered her head, her eyes wide with disbelief, and let out an "Ah!" She covered her private parts with her hands and cursed, "Xuan-Yuan-Yu, you pervert!"

Xuanyuan Yu stiffly removed his hand from Lin Ruoshui's body and said, "I only wanted to ruin that wild man's clothes, but I accidentally used too much force."

Lin Ruoshui said, "Turn your head away right now, you big pervert."

Xuanyuan Yu turned around.

Lin Ruoshui's entire body turned as red as a boiled shrimp as she plunged headfirst into the water.

Xuanyuan Yu seemed to have lost his mind at this moment. He walked to the shelf, picked up a bath towel, and said to Lin Ruoshui, "My wife, let me scrub your back."

Lin Ruoshui was truly enraged this time, shouting, "You pervert, stay away from me. Yingyi, call Bilan and Biyu in to serve you."

The air on the roof stirred, and soon after, Bilan and Biyu walked in. When they saw Xuanyuan Yu holding a bath towel, they almost screamed.

With a wave of his hand, Xuanyuan Yu caused the two men to instantly collapse to the ground.

Lin Ruoshui was speechless, preparing to go berserk.

Seeing that Lin Ruoshui's eyes were red with anger, Xuanyuan Yu helplessly woke up Bilan and Biyu and left the hot spring pool in disappointment.

Not seeing Xuanyuan Yu made Lin Ruoshui feel much better, and she hummed a song while scrubbing herself in the bath.

Wanqing walked in and said, "Princess, the Emperor summons you to the Imperial Study for an audience."

Lin Ruoshui thought, "Something big must have happened, otherwise my brother would have come directly to my palace."