Zhou Xu was indeed worried about her aunt and wanted to go to the Prince's Mansion again.
Leaving openly was out of the question; she had to sneak out.
Moreover, she must not let anyone know that she wants to seek refuge with the Prince's Mansion, including Wu Zhenhai.
Wu Zhenhai is a man of deep thoughts and difficult to fathom.
He came from humble beginnings and worked his way up to where he is today; he's a truly ruthless character.
He never revealed any dissatisfaction with the Zhou Family to his own eyes.
He never revealed his true inner thoughts.
Wu Zhenhai was very tight-lipped; the two rarely spoke to each other outside of their mutual teasing in bed.
Zhou Xu felt that Wu Zhenhai was just a dog in the Zhou Family, but this dog occasionally coveted her bone, unaware that she was a traitor.
If he knew, the most likely outcome would be that he would chop himself into pieces.
Therefore, Zhou Xu dared not take the risk and let him know her plans.
It wasn't easy for her to get out; but Zhou Xu wasn't too worried.
Because just as she wasn't Wu Zhenhai's only woman— Wu Zhenhai wasn't her only man either.
That evening, Zhou Xu quietly left her courtyard.
It was quiet everywhere late at night, and most of the servants in the mansion were asleep, with very few people on duty.
The servants, especially those in the inner courtyard, all served their masters inside the rooms; there was almost no one outside.
Therefore, Zhou Xu arrived at the outer courtyard without any problems.
The outer courtyard is staffed with guards, as this involves the safety of the Governor's Mansion and they will not be negligent.
She stopped wandering around, straightened her clothes, and waited Jingjing in the bamboo grove.
After a while, a tall man emerged from the bamboo grove and pulled Zhou Xu into his arms.
He groped Zhou Xu's body haphazardly, and it looked like he was about to undo her belt.
Zhou Xu didn't resist, but reminded him, "If I lose my virginity, and Grandfather investigates, aren't you afraid of ruining your future? I don't care if I'm willing to risk everything, but I don't want to hurt you."
The guard seemed to have been doused with cold water, instantly sobering up.
Zhou Xu knew that if you needed something from someone, you should offer them a reward, so she put her arm around the guard's neck and left a "hickey" on his neck.
Sensing the changes in the man's body, Zhou Xu said, "Don't worry, you're my first love. Even after we get married, I'll still have time to visit my parents' home."
As she spoke, she slipped another silver note to the guard. "One hundred taels. Last time I heard you say you wanted to advance your career, take this and use it to make some connections. If you're not in the mood, go have some drinks and relax, don't let my darling get too stifled."
The guard hugged her and kissed her passionately.
Zhou Xu: "No, don't leave any traces..."
Although it was all just pretense, she seemed to be somewhat moved...
The taste of men is indeed different for each one.
No wonder men like having multiple wives and concubines; she's a woman too, and she also wants to be selective.
Unfortunately, the guards didn't have Wu Zhenhai's skills, and it would have been difficult to erase the traces afterward; otherwise, she could have given it a try.
Fortunately, the guards stopped in time and managed to separate from her.
Zhou Xu thought to herself, if it doesn't end soon, she's afraid she won't be able to control herself.
The guards took full advantage of the situation, secretly leading her past the guards on duty to the courtyard wall.
He jumped up first, then pulled Zhou Xu to the top of the wall.
Then he jumped down from the wall and caught Zhou Xu as she jumped down.
Zhou Xu hugged him and kissed him.
The guard whispered, "Be careful of the night patrol. If you're caught, bribe them."
"I know." Zhou Xu waved her hand and quietly set off along the base of the wall.
The Prince's Mansion was only two or three miles away from the Governor's Mansion, so she wasn't afraid.
However, after walking about a mile, Zhou Xu suddenly felt that something was wrong.
--Is someone following her suspiciously?
She dared not make a sound, afraid of exposing herself. She walked forward nonchalantly for a moment, then suddenly stopped and turned around.
The next moment, she felt herself enveloped in shadow.
A large hand grabbed her neck from behind, while another hand tightly embraced her body.
The man was rude, and his breathing was very rough.
Zhou Xu immediately became very nervous, but she quickly forced herself to calm down.
She said in a seductive and alluring voice, "Sir, if you want me, just say so. Don't be so rude. I don't have money, but I can take your body! I'm very good at serving people!"
"So, how many people have you served?"
Hearing that familiar, sarcastic, angry voice, Zhou Xu instantly relaxed.
It turns out it was Wu Zhenhai.
That cunning Old Cabbage Stalk, why did he have to scare her like that?
"What does Uncle Wu say?" Zhou Xu resumed her usual teasing tone, "My first time wasn't just a waste, was it?"
Wu Zhenhai sneered, then suddenly twisted her hands behind her back, tied them with a horsewhip, and roughly threw her onto the horse's back.
"Wu Zhenhai, you bastard!"
Zhou Xu was hanging on the horse's back like a sack, feeling very uncomfortable.
Wu Zhenhai leaped onto his horse, his anger turning into a mocking laugh, "I have even more outrageous things to do to you! Zhou Xu, well, Zhou Xu, I truly underestimated you!"
Zhou Xu's heart was pounding like a drum. Even though the galloping horse made her feel like she was about to vomit, and her wrists were tied so tightly they hurt, she didn't care.
She wondered if Wu Zhenhai knew about her plan to seek refuge with the Prince's mansion.
If that's the case, how can she save herself?
Will Wu Zhenhai hand her over to the Zhou Family?
He can!
This man is extremely ruthless.
If he weren't ruthless, he wouldn't have gotten this far.
Zhou Xu was not afraid of death or torture, but she was afraid that if something happened to her, the Prince's Mansion would no longer have any reason to take in her concubine.
What will happen to the concubine then?
May Her Highness the Princess have mercy?
No, Zhou Xu quickly dismissed the idea.
In this world, the last thing you can expect is for others to have a sudden act of kindness.
She must live!
Only if she is well can her aunt be well.
She bit her lip hard, forcing herself to calm down and think of a solution, the metallic taste of blood spreading in her mouth.
She didn't have many trump cards up her sleeve; her only trump card was Wu Zhenhai's infatuation with her body.
But that infatuation wasn't enough for her to escape disaster.
Zhou Xu's mind raced through a list of names—people she knew before, both those who were on good terms with Wu Zhenhai and those who were on bad terms with him.
No, in the border town, almost no one can control Wu Zhenhai.
Grandfather might be capable, but Wu Zhenhai has already slept with him, so he's also capable of disobeying his grandfather's orders.
Oh, and there's also the prince and princess.
Zhou Xu suddenly grasped at a straw.
Zhou Xu made up her mind; she was going to tell Wu Zhenhai that she was already the prince's woman!
Even if Wu Zhenhai didn't completely believe it, this person was suspicious, so he definitely had to investigate.
He could then "prove his innocence" by going to the Prince's mansion to show him.
Then, we can plead with the Princess Consort; perhaps we can escape this calamity.
The only regret is that Wu Zhenhai will probably not be able to be used anymore in the future.
She still needs to find new talent.
Will the next one be even better?
I hope the next one will also fall in love with her.