Chapter 144: The Missing Princess of the Jin Prince’s Mansion

Hearing the voice, Xia Jiujiang felt a chill run down her spine. She jerked her head around and locked eyes with Jun Buwen’s utterly familiar face, feeling a sharp, aching tug at her heart.

Jun Buwen had only just suppressed his toxic fever and was still somewhat weak, his complexion pale. Yet here he was, standing right behind her—what was the meaning of this?

Xia Jiujiang swallowed hard. After their explosive argument in the rain, both of them had fallen gravely ill. This was the first time Xia Jiujiang was seeing Jun Buwen again, a living, moving Jun Buwen, rather than the motionless figure lying in bed.

Xia Jiujiang stood right before Jun Buwen, their eyes locked in mutual gaze. Even though Jun Buwen didn’t trust her, upon returning to the Prince Jin Manor and seeing him lying lifeless on the bed, Xia Jiujiang had been terrified—terrified of losing him.

Ming Ningzi and Ming Ze stared in utter astonishment when they saw Jun Buwen. Hadn't he divorced Xia Jiujiang? Why on earth was he appearing here?

Taking a deep breath, Xia Jiujiang feigned nonchalance and said, "His Highness, having just recovered from a severe illness, should be resting properly at the manor instead of showing up here. What is the meaning of this?" After writing the divorce letter and leaving the manor, what more could he possibly want from her?

Jun Buwen gazed straight into her eyes and replied, "There was no choice. Who told this prince to have such a worrisome Princess Consort?"

Xia Jiujiang’s eyes flickered. "Who is being worrisome? You were the one who fell ill... not me. If anyone is worrisome, it is you."

The toxic fever had been well contained the last time Xia Jiujiang channeled her vital breath into him, but this time he had even resorted to using his heart's blood. However, employing heart's blood was tantamount to reaching the end of one's days; while it offered the maximum control over the toxic poison, it also meant that any future relapse would spell certain doom.

Jun Buwen’s gaze turned cold. "You also know this prince has just recovered from a major illness. Instead of staying behind to undress me, spoon-feed me, and brew soups for me, what are you doing running off to a place like this?"

Xia Jiujiang retorted with a sour tone, "If you want someone to undress you, spoon-feed you, and brew soups, go find Elder Meng. He can provide you with hundreds of maids, plump or slender, to your heart's content."

"Those are the duties of the Princess Consort. Why would this prince bother looking for other maids?" Jun Buwen stared unwaveringly at her.

Xia Jiujiang stubbornly snapped back, "You... you were just treating me like a maid!"

Ming Ningzi interjected, "What maid? You've already been driven out of the Prince Jin Manor and aren't even allowed back in. What kind of maid dreams are you entertaining now?"

Ming Ningzi intended to remind Xia Jiujiang that she had already been discarded and should hurry up and get lost.

True to expectation, the moment Ming Ningzi spoke, Xia Jiujiang’s face darkened instantly. Did she really need someone else to remind her?

Unhappily, Xia Jiujiang demanded, "I have already left the Prince Jin Manor. I wonder what Prince Jin is hoping to achieve by chasing after me."

Stepping closer, Jun Buwen said, "This prince came to see whether the Princess Consort—who left behind a letter to divorce her husband—might have also taken any of the manor's possessions with her."

Xia Jiujiang’s expression instantly stiffened. Wasn't a letter of divorce enough? Did he have to come and humiliate her in person as well?

Upon returning to the manor, Xia Jiujiang had treated Jun Buwen before immediately writing the divorce paper and leaving. When would she ever have had the time to pack a bundle, let alone steal anything of value from the estate? Yet now, Jun Buwen actually suspected her of walking away with his property!

Her temper flared instantly, accompanied by a stinging sensation in her nose and a wave of wretchedness. She had thought that even if Jun Buwen held no genuine affection for her... he wouldn't push her to such desperate straits. To her dismay, she realized that from beginning to end, she was the only one who had truly lost her heart.

Xia Jiujiang stomped her foot and shouted, "I leave with clean hands and a pure heart! What on earth did I ever take from your Prince Jin Manor?"

Jun Buwen let out a cold chuckle. "Who knows? Only a thorough search will reveal whether the Princess Consort has stolen anything from the estate."

Trembling with rage, Xia Jiujiang clenched her fists. With a violent jerk, she tore off her outer cloak, revealing the bright red blood staining the inner dress that vividly met Jun Buwen’s eyes. She hurled the garment at him and spat, "See for yourself if I am capable of hiding anything!"

With that, she angrily spun around and started to storm off.

Catching sight of the blood-soaked fabric across Xia Jiujiang’s chest, Ming Ze cried out in alarm, "You... Xia Jiujiang, you're bleeding!"

Gritting her teeth with reddened eyes, Xia Jiujiang snapped, "I won't die!" She had used her own heart's blood to save him, only for him to subject her to such humiliation!

With a swift motion, Jun Buwen swept Xia Jiujiang up into his arms. "The Prince Jin Manor has lost its Princess Consort. Where do you think you are taking this prince's wife?!"

Xia Jiujiang’s eyes widened in shock. What did Jun Buwen mean by that?

When he claimed she had taken something from the manor, was he referring to... *herself*?

Seeing Jun Buwen scoop Xia Jiujiang into his arms, Ming Ze grew displeased and rushed forward, blocking his path. "What is the meaning of this, Prince Jin? Xia Jiujiang is no longer your Princess Consort. Where do you think you're taking her?"

"Whether she is the Princess Consort or not is not for the Third Prince of Southern Kingdom to decide."

Ming Ze retorted angrily, "The divorce paper has already been written! How can she still be the Princess Consort?"

Glancing sideways at Xia Jiujiang, Jun Buwen remarked, "This prince never consented to a divorce. It was the Princess Consort who handed *me* a divorce letter."

Xia Jiujiang swallowed nervously. Did writing that divorce letter turn out to be a grave mistake after all?

Amidst her awkwardness, a trace of lingering reluctance surfaced in Ming Ningzi's voice as she chimed in, "Prince Jin... didn't you and the Princess Consort divorce? Such an intimate embrace is rather unsightly for my third brother to witness."

Deliberately bringing Ming Ze into the conversation, Ming Ningzi wanted to remind Jun Buwen of the fact that Xia Jiujiang had spent the past two unconscious days in Ming Ze's company.

Coldly, Jun Buwen addressed Ming Ningzi, "Who said we are divorced? A divorce letter without this prince's signature and seal is nothing more than a scrap of paper. Besides, as far as this prince is concerned, there is only widowhood, never divorce."

Staring wide-eyed in astonishment, Xia Jiujiang blurted out, "Widowhood? You still want me dead?!"

Unpleased, Jun Buwen warned, "If someone insists on divorcing her husband, this prince cannot guarantee whether an incident of widowhood might occur."

Faced with Jun Buwen's menacing tone, Xia Jiujiang inwardly resolved never to write another divorce letter again. Simply running away altogether seemed far more practical.

"Since you are already estranged in heart and mind, and a divorce letter has been written, continuing to scrape by together will only bring misery to both. Why won't Prince Jin simply let her go?"

With overbearing dominance, Jun Buwen declared, "This prince is fond of the Princess Consort. Why should I let her go?"

Xia Jiujiang had been feeling rather awkward in his embrace, but when those words suddenly left his lips, her ears rang with a deafening roar.

She jerked her head up to stare at him. A single sentence from Jun Buwen completely shattered the defenses she had painstakingly built, effortlessly routing her anger and resentment.

Her gaze met his, overlapping with the memory of the night in Sunset River Street when he had held her close as they soared through the night sky. She heard the frantic, uncontrollable hammering of her own heart.

Casting a disdainful look at Ming Ze, Jun Buwen said, "Since the Third Prince of Southern Kingdom is so concerned with this divorce letter, I shall present it to you."

Without a shred of politeness, he flicked the document from his sleeve straight toward Ming Ze. Ming Ze instinctively swatted it away—what possible meaning could it have for him to receive a divorce letter rejected by Jun Buwen?

The paper fluttered down and landed on the ground. Unfolded, the prominent characters "Divorce the Husband" were visible at the top, followed by a list of grievances: lacking masculine virtue, philandering, jealousy... such audacious accusations were something only Xia Jiujiang would dare to write.

Yet at that very moment, cradled safely in Jun Buwen's arms, Xia Jiujiang walked right out of the alley and onto the avenue of Vermilion Bird Street without a single struggle. Despite all Ming Ze's efforts and meticulous plotting, they were still no match for a single confession from Jun Buwen.