Chapter 873: Two Women at Odds

Song Qingshu frowned slightly. Although Zhou Zhiruo’s reasoning made sense—her request demanded the least sacrifice—he knew that she and Zhao Min had been rivals for years. If he, as her husband, were to slap Zhou Zhiruo twenty times right in front of Zhao Min, where would her dignity be afterward?

At this moment, Song Qingshu felt his head was about to explode. He had once fantasized about building a grand harem, yet just two women had already left him utterly bewildered.

‘The joys of polygamy are not easily enjoyed—the ancients truly spoke no lies.’

“Miss Zhao, if I recall correctly, you once promised me a favor as well. Since that’s the case, let’s call it even, shall we?” Song Qingshu retrieved a golden hairpin from his robes—one he had taken from Zhao Min’s hair while escorting her for medical treatment, serving as proof of her pledge.

Recognizing the item in his hand, Zhao Min’s heart trembled. “You’ve been carrying this hairpin with you all this time?”

“Yes,” Song Qingshu nodded, offering it to her. “Miss Zhao, please don’t make this harder for me.”

“You’re using ‘my’ promise to save Zhou Zhiruo!” Zhao Min didn’t take the hairpin. Instead, she bit her lip and glared at him.

“I can’t possibly slap her twenty times for real,” Song Qingshu said with a wry smile.

“Fine. Don’t regret this.” Zhao Min’s voice turned icy as she reached for the hairpin, already resolved to toss it away somewhere out of sight and mind.

But her hand closed on empty air—Zhou Zhiruo had snatched it first. Examining the hairpin with a teasing smile, she remarked, “Oh? A token of love, is it?”

Song Qingshu sighed. “Zhiruo, don’t make a scene. It’s just proof of a promise.”

Zhou Zhiruo smirked at him, watching until he grew uneasy, then stuffed the hairpin back into his robes. “Keep it. It’s rare for this vixen to owe you a favor. Wasting it now would be a shame.”

“But—” Song Qingshu hesitated.

“It’s fine. Twenty slaps won’t kill me.” Zhou Zhiruo closed her eyes, tilted her chin up, and presented her fair, delicate cheeks, surrendering herself to his mercy.

Seeing the hairpin returned to Song Qingshu, Zhao Min parted her lips slightly but ultimately said nothing.

“Twenty slaps…” Staring at Zhou Zhiruo’s flawless skin, Song Qingshu couldn’t bring himself to strike her. Then, inspiration struck—a perfect compromise.

“Alright, Miss Zhao, I accept your terms.” At his words, Zhou Zhiruo’s lashes fluttered, but she steadied herself, having made her choice.

Song Qingshu turned to Zhao Min. “If I slap her twenty times, you’ll be satisfied?”

“Indeed.” Zhao Min was taken aback, never expecting him to actually go through with it. Though she relished the thought of Zhou Zhiruo being humiliated, watching Song Qingshu raise his hand stirred complicated emotions in her.

“Very well.” Song Qingshu raised his palm high, making Zhao Min’s heart leap. Zhou Zhiruo, though her eyes were shut, sensed his movement and couldn’t help but resent him inwardly: ‘

Must you swing so hard?’

Song Qingshu’s hand descended—but not on her face. Instead, it wrapped around her waist, pulling her onto his lap.

“What are you doing?” Zhou Zhiruo blinked in confusion, as did Zhao Min.

“Spanking you.” The soft pressure of Zhou Zhiruo’s chest against his thigh sent a thrill through Song Qingshu. He raised his hand again and brought it down with a crisp ‘smack’ on her backside.

Zhou Zhiruo let out a muffled gasp, her body trembling as her face flushed crimson. “Y-You—how could you hit me ‘there’?”

Zhao Min was equally stunned. “No! Song Qingshu, you’re cheating!”

Song Qingshu feigned innocence. “How so? You told me to slap her twenty times—you never specified ‘where’.” With that, he delivered another smack to Zhou Zhiruo’s rear, savoring the plush, springy sensation.

“Stop it!” Zhou Zhiruo’s skin burned scarlet as she struggled to sit up. Though she knew Song Qingshu was helping her, being spanked in front of Zhao Min was unbearably humiliating.

“Stay still. It’ll be over soon,” Song Qingshu whispered tenderly in her ear.

Hearing his gentle tone, Zhou Zhiruo felt a surge of warmth.

‘Maybe this wasn’t so bad after all?’

Still, she couldn’t bear to meet Zhao Min’s gaze and buried her face in Song Qingshu’s chest, lips tightly sealed to avoid making any embarrassing sounds. Occasionally, when she couldn’t suppress a whimper, she bit Song Qingshu’s shoulder instead.

Watching the two snuggle intimately, Zhao Min’s heart twisted. She had wanted revenge on Zhou Zhiruo, yet not only had she wasted a precious favor, but the two now seemed to be flirting right before her eyes.

“Aren’t you two ashamed of yourselves?” Zhao Min’s eyebrow twitched at their display.

“None of your business. ‘You’ told him to hit me,” Zhou Zhiruo retorted, her voice muffled against Song Qingshu’s chest—though it carried a hint of coyness absent in her usual icy tone.

“Shameless adulterers!” Zhao Min stamped her foot and stormed off without a backward glance.

“Where are you going?” Song Qingshu called after her instinctively.

“Back to Daxing Prefecture!” Her voice faded into the distance, leaving no doubt of her resolve.

“The roads aren’t safe. Let me escort you later?” Song Qingshu shouted, worried about her traveling alone amid the Golden Serpent Camp’s cavalry and White Lotus Sect’s followers.

“No need!” Zhao Min paused, then added sharply, “Keep hitting her—all twenty slaps, not one less!”

Only Song Qingshu and Zhou Zhiruo, with their keen hearing, could make out her final words as she vanished into the distance.

The two exchanged glances. “Should I continue?”

Zhou Zhiruo bit her lip, her eyes glistening as she gazed at him. “Up to you~”

Song Qingshu’s pulse quickened. Unable to resist, he delivered two more playful smacks. Zhou Zhiruo’s eyes grew even more liquid. “Song Qingshu~”

Though married, their time together had been scarce, and their reconciliation was still fresh. Zhou Zhiruo’s sultry tone was like a spark on dry tinder, igniting a blazing fire.

“Here?”

“Does it feel inappropriate? We could return to Daxing Prefecture and find a room—”

“No… right here.”

*****

Much later, Zhou Zhiruo sat up from the hay, her long, jade-like legs folded to the side, her cheeks still flushed. As she straightened her robes, she shot Song Qingshu a reproachful look. “After practicing that technique of yours, few women in this world could endure you. No wonder you’re always flirting around.”

Song Qingshu chuckled awkwardly. “The esoteric arts are peculiar—once you start, you can’t stop. Sorry for putting you through that.”

Zhou Zhiruo sighed softly. “Sometimes I wonder… what if you were still the simple, devoted Song Qingshu from before?”

Before he could reply, she shook her head. “But if you were, I probably wouldn’t love you. I suppose fate works in mysterious ways.”

Touched, Song Qingshu pulled her into an embrace. “Zhiruo…”

Resting her head on his shoulder, she murmured, “I won’t stop you from being with other women—just not Zhao Min.”

“Uh—” Song Qingshu hesitated. Their grudge truly ran deep.

Zhou Zhiruo continued, “That vixen is pure malice. She loves stealing men from me. She’s done it once—I won’t let her do it again.”

Song Qingshu’s heart ached for her. “Don’t worry. It won’t happen again.”

Zhou Zhiruo hummed in agreement, smoothing her disheveled hair. “Song Qingshu, I must return to Jiangnan.”

Song Qingshu frowned. “You’re leaving so soon? Stay with me a while longer. Let me show you around the Dynasty.”

With a faint smile, she shook her head. “Though Tang Sai’er is poisoned, she’s cunning. If she returns to the White Lotus Sect and spreads rumors… I can’t let all my efforts go to waste.”

Song Qingshu fell silent. He understood Zhou Zhiruo’s nature was the opposite of Zhao Min’s—where Zhao Min was outwardly strong but inwardly tender, willing to abandon all for love, Zhou Zhiruo was gentle on the surface but unyielding at heart. Seeing Ah Jiu and Xia Qingqing bringing substantial “dowries,” she refused to be outdone. Moreover, the White Lotus Sect was her father’s legacy, now in others’ hands… For multiple reasons, he couldn’t dissuade her.

“Must you go now?” he asked reluctantly.

“Yes.” She nodded. “If I delay any longer, I might lose Tang Sai’er’s trail.”

“Very well. Be careful in the White Lotus Sect. If danger arises, prioritize your safety.”

“I know, my dear husband.” Suddenly, she leaned in and kissed him, then skipped away, calling over her shoulder, “No flirting with Zhao Min, alright?”

Since arriving in this world, Song Qingshu had mostly seen Zhou Zhiruo’s cold, aloof side. Now, witnessing her girlish playfulness, he was utterly enchanted.

*****

Meanwhile, in the Dynasty’s imperial palace, Emperor Xizong of Jin was berating Wanyan Ping and others kneeling before him.

“The Laundry Courtyard—the very Laundry Courtyard I rely upon most—has become a public outhouse, where people come and go as they please? And you, its leaders, were all absent at the critical moment! What use are you? Guards! Drag them out and execute them all!”