pjbooks Chapter 73
Chapter 73
Jinse leaned against her chest, crying and sobbing helplessly, her whole body trembling.
"Why……"
Nalan Jingwen embraced him and gently comforted him.
"Don't be afraid, I'll take you home."
Jinse looked up, her beautiful eyes even more swollen, her lips trembling slightly.
"Family?"
Nalan Jingwen lowered her eyes to meet his gaze, "Yes, I'll take you home."
But his tears flowed even more profusely, and he kept shaking his head, heartbroken and devastated.
"I have no home, I haven't had a home for a long time... They all abandon me..."
He was agitated, almost delirious, as if some painful memory had been triggered.
"They threw me away, saying I was a worthless piece of trash, and sold me to a brothel owner for five taels of silver. It hurt so much... They beat me, wouldn't let me eat, and forced me to learn how to serve women. If I didn't learn, they would... lock me in a pitch-black room. It was so dark... There were so many people crying, so many rats. I was so scared. I didn't want to be locked up there. I begged them, begged them to let me out, and kowtowed to them. There was so much blood... I bled so much... They pulled my hair and forced me to drink dirty water. When I refused, they slapped me. It hurt so much... It really hurt so much..."
"It's gone... I haven't had a home for a long time... It's gone..."
Nalan Jingwen remained silent, simply holding him close, no matter how heavy the rain was outside, embracing him tenderly.
She couldn't truly understand his past, nor could she comprehend the pain he endured. Everyone has unspeakable suffering, and he had experienced it all firsthand. All she could do was hold him like this now, knowing that he must have felt just as helpless back then.
She felt sorry for him, for all the hardships he had endured over the years, and she believed in all his suffering.
How did a child that big manage to get through it?
He said it hurt so much...
Nalan Jingwen lowered her head and gently kissed his chapped lips.
"Come with me, Jinse."
Jinse cried until she could hardly breathe, ignoring the pain in her hands, she pinched her palms tightly. Even now, she could only bear to hurt herself.
Wrap him in a blanket to cover his naked body and all his scars, to hide all his vulnerability.
She stood up, holding the person in her arms, and caught a glimpse of an embroidered pouch under the pillow.
The item carefully placed under the pillow must be a cherished possession.
He picked up the brocade pouch and put it in his pocket, then carried the person out the door, only to be stopped by someone.
"Oh dear, Miss Li, why are you lying on the ground? Who did this?!"
Hearing this mocking voice, the body in his arms trembled once more. Nalan Jingwen frowned and looked at the madam.
The madam saw her too, a guilty look flashed across his face, but when he saw the person in her arms, he forgot all about his guilt and rushed over immediately.
"what you do?!"
Nalan Jingwen looked at him coldly, his face expressionless.
"Can't you tell? I'm taking Jinse away."
"no!!"
"Why not?"
"He's my man, his indenture is with me, you can't take him away!"
Upon hearing this, Nalan Jingwen gave a mocking smile, utterly cold.
"It's just a contract of servitude, so what?"
A piece of paper? You think you can trap her? If you can't even handle this, then this wise prince is truly a useless piece of trash!
He kicked the man away with tremendous force, causing him and the woman to fall together.
His face was contorted in pain.
"You broke your promise first. You assured me that you wouldn't let Jinse entertain guests and that he should rest and recover properly. But what is this?!"
All she saw were scars all over his body and bones so thin they were protruding!
"You said you'd be back in a month, but you didn't! You broke your promise first! The month is over, so what's wrong with me making him take clients?!"
"He eats my food, lives in my house, and uses my things! Can't I even let him entertain clients?!"
Nalan Jingwen suddenly kicked the rickety door out, and it crashed heavily to the ground and shattered. The madam stared in disbelief, trembling with fear.
"I gave you a thousand taels of silver. That thousand taels could buy countless dog lives! Who do you think you are?!"
She said sternly.
That thousand taels was more than enough to buy Jinse, but she didn't want to treat him as an object, an object that could be bought and sold at will. He was a person, a living person!
"You!! You can't take him away! Either pay to ransom him!! Otherwise, you'll never leave here!!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a large number of strong and healthy women poured into the courtyard.
Nalan Jingwen sneered.
"Then let's see if I can take him away!"
She turned and went into the house, gently placed Jinse on a chair, brushed aside his sweat-dampened and messy hair, and lightly kissed his forehead.
"Stay here and wait for me. I'll take care of everything and then I'll take you away."
Jinse stared blankly at her with somewhat empty eyes, her lips moving slightly, but she couldn't say anything.
Nalan Jingwen patted his head and walked out.
"Let's go together."
"You said it yourself, so get them all on the field!"
Nalan Jingwen's eyes instantly sharpened. Without even using a weapon, he dodged the wooden stick that was slashing at him, grabbed the man's hand and twisted it. With a heart-wrenching scream, he threw the man away without blinking.
In no time, the courtyard was a mess, and cries of agony filled the air, but the crabapple tree in the courtyard remained in full bloom.
Nalan Jingwen glanced at him, then turned around and picked him up again, covering his head to protect him from the wind and rain, and walked out of the courtyard.
The woman finally recovered, staggered to her feet, and pointed at her back while cursing loudly.
"You bitch! How dare you hit me! I'll never let you get away with this!! He's nothing but a piece of trash! A man who's been slept with by who knows how many men, and you still covet him? You're a disgrace to us women! Men are just playthings for women!!"
Nalan Jingwen paused, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
Suddenly, a strong wind arose, accompanied by lightning and thunder. A huge rift was torn open in the dark sky, and a bolt of lightning struck straight down. The woman suddenly fell silent.
Even the madam standing nearby remained silent.
Nalan Jingwen left the place without looking back.
Back at the inn, Hongyun was startled to see Nalan Jingwen soaking wet, and then immediately went up to ask him what was wrong.
"Your Majesty!"
Nalan Jingwen ignored her and rushed into the room.
"Please call a doctor! And bring in more hot water!"
Although Hongyun didn't understand why, she still did as instructed.
Nalan Jingwen made a loud noise, which drew out the few people who were still awake. Pei Yunche and Jingchi were the first to come out and go to her room.
"What's wrong, Nalan Jingwen? Are you injured? Why are you calling a doctor!"
Rong Hengyu also arrived.
Nalan Jingwen didn't have time to pay attention to them. She gently placed the person on the bed, and hot water was quickly brought in. She wrung out a handkerchief and wiped the dirt off Jinse's body.
The men inside the room were all shocked to see Jinse's condition, and Pei Yunche gasped.
"Nalan Jingwen, who is he? How could this happen? Who could be so cruel!"
Nalan Jingwen saw Jinse's empty, tearful eyes and realized something. He turned to her and said, "Jingchi, take the King and Young Master Pei out and close the door. No one is allowed to come in except the doctor."
"Yes."
The room fell silent. As Nalan Jingwen wiped him clean, she became increasingly alarmed, realizing that the injuries on his body were far more than what was visible on the surface.
His hand even showed signs of dislocation, indicating that it had been forcibly broken off and then reattached.
There were also strangulation marks on her neck.
Jinse simply lay there, silently shedding tears, letting Nalan Jingwen wipe away her tears.
"Your Highness, the doctor has arrived."