FBC – Chapter 279 The Trap

Wang Heng was utterly exhausted. After returning to his room, he didn’t even want to eat.

A servant brought in a bowl of goat-milk soup. “Master, this is a specialty of Ju Prefecture. If you can’t eat, at least have some goat-milk soup, otherwise your body won’t hold out.”

Wang Heng smelled the milky fragrance, took the bowl, and tasted a spoonful. It was sweet, just enough to soothe his mood.

“Mm, not bad.”

The servant withdrew. Wang Heng sat there for a while when a wave of drowsiness hit him. He fell asleep without even bathing.

Throughout the night, for some unknown reason, he slept restlessly—and even had a spring dream.

The next morning.

Wang Heng woke up groggily, feeling sore all over and dizzy. He tried to prop himself up, but suddenly felt something soft under his hand. Startled, he jerked awake.

He turned his head—and nearly lost his soul.

“You! Who are you!?”

Under the quilt lay a woman with skin as white as cream. Her loose black hair hid half her face. Hearing his shout, she slowly stirred and turned toward him.

“Jiang Ruoxi!”

Wang Heng was completely dumbfounded.

“You—you, how did you…”

Jiang Ruoxi’s tone was coy: “Lord Wang, with that terrified expression, it’s as if I forced myself on you.”

Then she slid toward him, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.

“Lord Wang, you took my body last night. You must take responsibility.”

“You’re spouting nonsense! You—you’re insane!”

Wang Heng was losing his mind. He kept sputtering “you you you” while trying to push away the shameless woman—but she wasn’t wearing any clothes, so he didn’t know where to grab her.

Outside, a matron called loudly:

“Miss, Lord Wang, are you awake?”

Wang Heng froze from head to toe. He looked fearfully toward the door, then angrily at the woman in his arms.

Jiang Ruoxi lifted her head and called sweetly, “Nanny, we’re awake.”

The door was pushed open. The matron entered with several maids carrying washing tools.

Wang Heng stared, face turning beet red.

But these women treated him as if he were invisible. They went straight to support the completely naked Jiang Ruoxi out of bed and began dressing her in front of him.

Wang Heng’s attendants didn’t dare to enter. They peeked in from the doorway, saw Jiang Ruoxi, and instantly shrank back. When she finished dressing, they cautiously poked their heads in again.

Heavens—

The princess sent for marriage had slept with the imperial envoy in charge of the peace mission.

The explosive news sprouted wings and spread across the entire city instantly.

Gu Hua spat out a mouthful of tea.

“Jiang Ruoxi… she really can sacrifice herself.”

Zhao Luoxuan curled her lip in disdain. “A cheap woman is a cheap woman, utterly shameless.”

Yuan Jieying frowned. “She… must have been driven into a corner.”

Zhou Zhilian snorted. “Driven into a corner? Then she should’ve hanged herself. What good does this do? Wang Heng already has a wife. Does she want to be a concubine?”

Gu Hua wiped her mouth. “She wants to become Wang Heng’s concubine—would the Jiang family allow it? If they found out, they’d want to strangle her on the spot.”

Yuan Jieying added, “She’s digging her own grave.”

Zhou Zhilian shot her a look. “You’re worried for her? Someone like that—better to die early and reincarnate.”

Gu Hua thought for a moment. “I think Jiang Ruoxi is playing a different game.”

…

Once fully dressed, Jiang Ruoxi dismissed everyone, then turned to face Wang Heng, who was still huddled in the quilt like a cocoon, eyes brimming with murderous intent.

She smiled slightly and bowed. “Lord Wang, you have two choices. One: take me back to the Wang family. Two: help me marry Prince Duan.”

Wang Heng growled, “Shameless!”

Jiang Ruoxi burst into laughter—so hard that tears appeared.

“Shameless? I haven’t had any shame for a long time.”

After laughing enough, she fixed her eyes on him. “As the legitimate daughter of the Jiang family, I cannot marry you as a concubine—you must divorce your wife.”

Wang Heng trembled with rage. “Don’t even think about it! Someone like you—immoral and depraved—has no right to enter my household!”

Jiang Ruoxi didn’t care. “Lord Wang, think clearly. Even if I’m a discarded daughter, I cannot allow myself to be defiled without consequence. Otherwise, where would my parents’ and the Empress Dowager’s face go? Even if I die, they won’t let you off. The world now knows you slept with the marriage princess appointed by His Majesty!”

Wang Heng stared wide-eyed. He had never imagined Jiang Ruoxi could be this vicious.

His lips trembled. “You, you… Prince Duan already rejected you. You will soon no longer be a princess!”

She lifted her chin proudly. “But the decree has not yet been issued. So I am still the marriage princess. And you, the envoy in charge of the peace mission, defiled the marriage princess and sabotaged the alliance. That is a capital offense.”

Wang Heng’s face turned green.

After a long time, he suddenly realized: “I didn’t touch you! I never touched you!”

Jiang Ruoxi twirled gracefully. “So what? Both of us were naked, in the same bed, all night. Do you think outsiders care whether we did or didn’t? Lord Wang, you’re far too naive.”

She pulled down her collar, revealing her shoulder—marked with ambiguous traces.

“But Lord Wang, you really were quite vigorous last night. Look how many marks you left on me.”

Wang Heng was speechless with fury.

He must have been drugged.

No wonder he’d had spring dreams all night.

A man who prided himself on integrity—brought down by this shameless parasite!

Jiang Ruoxi walked to the bed, leaned down, hands pressed on the edge, looking up at him.

“Lord Wang, we’re on the same boat now. If I do well, you do well. If I suffer—so will you.”

Wang Heng glared. “What do you want?”

Jiang Ruoxi sat down, lifting a hand as if to touch his face.

Wang Heng immediately dodged—only to be slapped across the cheek.

“You!”

Her voice turned icy. “You must help me marry Prince Duan. Otherwise, I’ll fight you to the death.”

“He already rejected you! How can I make him accept you?”

“There are ways—if you listen.”

Jiang Ruoxi played with her sash—looking seductive, yet poisonous like a scorpion.

“Let Gu Hua get married then. And on the wedding day, switch the brides and kill her. Once I arrive in Dali and complete the ceremony as the official princess, what can Duan Yu do? Return me? Impossible.”

“If you anger Prince Duan, you won’t end well either.”

“Once I become his princess consort, my parents will value me again. They’ll support you too. Isn’t that also what you want?”

Wang Heng felt both suffocated and helpless. Against someone this shameless, he had no defenses.

Two imperial memorials sent via urgent 800-li dispatch arrived in the capital one after another.

The Emperor was furious—practically breathing fire.

Mu Junyan picked up the memorial the Emperor had thrown aside, and upon reading it, his eyes chilled.

Duan Yu… shameless.

“Your Majesty, the evidence against the Jiang family has been collected. You should issue the decree.”

The Emperor rubbed his forehead helplessly.

He had wanted to kill two birds with one stone: Use Mu Junyan to suppress the Jiang clan, and use Jiang Ruoxi to marry south and secure peace—while having Ping’an Wang’s people hold back the Mu family army.

Once Ping’an Wang was purged in Bianjing, the true imperial envoy shadowing them would emerge and immediately take over the Mu army.

If successful, Mu Junyan’s return would no longer matter.

But Wang Heng and Jiang Ruoxi had ruined everything.

And now Duan Yu wanted Gu Hua for marriage—this would enrage Mu Junyan beyond control.

The Emperor nodded. “Draft the decree.”