Chapter 289: Kindred Spirits

Returning to the imperial bedchamber, after bathing and changing his clothes, Zhang Zhang Jie did not delay but went straight to the point.

"I beg Your Majesty to show mercy~"

Li Miss Shishi, blushing, cooperated willingly as Zhang Zhang Jie pressed forward relentlessly.

Beneath a facade of peace, the world trembled with unrest.

We do not know how many seek to tear apart this peace,

or how many wish to lift the entire world with their own hands!

Others are willing to seize global opportunities and deeply understand the advantages of the channels.

The storm and rain did not cease until deep into the night.

Upon the dragon bed, Zhang Zhang Jie, temporarily in a state of calm, wrapped his arms around Li Miss Shishi's slender waist,

and suddenly felt a pang of reflection—had he now become a kindred spirit to Zhao Ji?

What surprised him even more was that although Li Miss Shishi had been performing at Fan Lou for years,

and had countless patrons, the pleasure she offered remained utterly intoxicating.

He admitted he harbored a collector's interest in Li Miss Shishi,

much like time-travelers to the Three Kingdoms always sought to join the Oath of the Peach Garden or visit Little Zhuge Liang while he still dwelled in Nanyang.

Those who traveled to the Journey to the West would typically pay homage beneath the Five Finger Mountain where the Monkey King was imprisoned.

Now, this particular "stamp" had proven with action that she was worth every bit of it.

Thinking of Zhao Ji, Zhang Zhang Jie's mind stirred with a mischievous thought,

and he traced his fingers over Li Miss Shishi's flawless, jade-like face, asking:

"Miss Shishi, just now—between me and Prince Duan, who was stronger?"

"Your Majesty~"

Hearing this shameful question, Li Miss Shishi's still-flushed face turned even redder.

How could she possibly answer such an embarrassing question?

Yet seeing Zhang Zhang Jie's serious expression, she still replied shyly:

"You are far stronger; how could Prince Duan compare to you?"

Her words were not merely flattery—Prince Duan, though once the supreme ruler of Great Song,

had forced her into his service, yet he kept a harem of three palaces, six courts, and seventy-two concubines,

and was already in middle or late age, long past his prime.

Recalling Zhang Zhang Jie's fierce and vigorous performance just now,

the blushing Li Miss Shishi playfully patted his chest with a light fist.

"I knew Prince Duan could never match me."

Zhang Zhang Jie smiled triumphantly, having gotten the answer he wanted.

It wasn't that he was shallow—men simply had such a strong desire to win in this matter.

A mere aging, decrepit Prince Duan? Even without using any martial arts, he could easily surpass him by far.

After answering such a shameful question, Li Miss Shishi buried her head in Zhang Zhang Jie's chest,

unwilling to look up at his smug face.

Zhang Zhang Jie then gently took her soft hand and whispered:

"Miss Shishi, stay by my side from now on—don't return to Fan Lou."

Although he didn't mind her past,

for most who fell into brothels did so not by choice,

unlike the wanton woman Kang Min from the Heaven and Earth world, who used her body as leverage to stir chaos for her own desires,

yet now that Li Miss Shishi was his, he didn't want anyone else to become his kindred spirit.

Not even the slightest possibility!

Zhang Zhang Jie was that pure in love!

Zhang Zhang Jie: Being a pure-love warrior, crushing cuckoldry—is everyone's duty!

Zhang Zhang Jie: It's everyone's duty to be a pure love warrior and crush the minotaurs!

Suddenly, tiny pearls rolled down Li Miss Shishi's beautiful eyes as she began to weep softly.

"Miss Shishi, what's wrong?"

The sudden tears of the beauty left Zhang Zhang Jie momentarily flustered.

He possessed extraordinary power, could single-handedly break an army, yet he couldn't read minds or sense thoughts—

he had no idea what she was thinking right now!

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly: Women's hearts are as deep as the ocean.

Just moments ago she was laughing merrily—why had she suddenly burst into tears?

"Your Majesty, I—I'm happy."

Li Miss Shishi lifted her tear-streaked face and smiled at Zhang Zhang Jie, who looked puzzled.

Who, if they could help it, would want to wallow in the mire of Fan Lou?

Though she was now adored by the high officials and nobles of Bianliang,

seemingly surrounded by learned scholars and free of commoners, her life appeared dazzlingly glorious—yet she knew it was all false.

When her beauty faded, all of it would vanish.

After all, those who serve others with their beauty lose favor when beauty fades.

Fan Lou, nearly as old as Great Song itself,

had once hosted courtesans more renowned than her—yet where were they now?

The lucky ones found someone to redeem them, securing a refuge for the rest of their lives.

The unlucky ones spent their entire lives trapped in brothels like Fan Lou,

dying unseen in some dark corner, tossed into a mass grave with no one to mourn them.

She had once hoped Zhao Ji might give her a home.

She never dreamed of entering the palace as a concubine—only that she might find shelter somewhere in Bianliang.

But to Zhao Ji, her only value lay in her fame as a courtesan;

even though their relationship had grown intimate, he still kept her at Fan Lou.

She had assumed Zhang Zhang Jie, too, only desired her for her fame, merely to indulge briefly—

yet she never imagined he would offer her the very choice she had longed for.

How could she not weep with joy?

'This damned world.'

Watching Li Miss Shishi, moved to tears by his simple promise, Zhang Zhang Jie cursed inwardly.

This ancient feudal society could turn people into ghosts!

He held her tenderly: "Miss Shishi,

for now, endure being merely my beauty. Later, I shall reward you properly."

He had not yet formally granted titles to women like Pan Jinlian or Li Li Qingzhao, who had followed him longer,

so it would be improper to elevate Li Miss Shishi too high too soon.

Moreover, though he himself didn't care much,

Li Miss Shishi had come from Fan Lou—her origins were truly poor,

and if he granted her too high a title, the old Confucian scholars in court would surely deafen him with their protests.

Thinking of those old scholars, even Zhang Zhang Jie felt a headache coming on.

They themselves were blameless, upright and incorruptible their whole lives,

yet they clung rigidly to ritual and propriety, making it hard for Zhang Zhang Jie to deal with them.

Could he really punish, demote, or even execute someone merely for offering reasonable advice—

advice that, at least in the eyes of people of this era, was perfectly justified?

Would that not make him the very tyrant, despot, and enemy of the people he once despised?

Wouldn't he then become the very tyrant, despot, and scourge of the people he once despised?

【89】 Li Miss Shishi's tear-streaked, delicate face showed even deeper gratitude.

Li Miss Shishi's tear-streaked face glowed with even deeper gratitude.

On Li Miss Shishi's tear-streaked, pear-blossom face, her gratitude deepened.

The next moment, Zhang Zhang Jie, still troubled by the court's old scholars, suddenly drew in a sharp breath—

this woman, when she took the initiative, left no room for the man at all.

He abandoned his thoughts and focused entirely on enjoying her grateful attentions.

Life isn't just about distant hardships—it's also about the poetry and fields before you.

Life is not just distant hardship, but also the poetry and fields before your eyes~