Chapter 47: They Have to Come Off Sooner or Later

Shen Ruojin turned and stepped down from the couch, quickly picking up Qin Lang's spare change of clothes to put them on. With her back to him, she said, "Repayment is repayment, but being this... intimate with you on a whim are two entirely different things."

Qin Lang said with a meaningful smile, "How intimate is 'this intimate'?"

The Shen family had taught Shen Ruojin too well.

Despite spending years interacting with the rough men in the military camps and knowing a little bit about everything, she had never truly tasted the flavor of romance.

She always adopted an attitude of willingness to do anything, accepting whatever came her way, and even speaking quite boldly; yet when it actually came down to the real thing, she was completely blank.

Even matters as intimate as passionate kissing and lingering embraces on the couch were casually brushed off by her with just the word "intimate."

Shen Ruojin fastened her sash and turned back to look at Qin Lang, only to see him wearing an expression that seemed to say "everything is perfectly normal." She couldn't help thinking to herself: *Could it be that I overreacted?*

"Don't put them on."

Qin Lang waited for quite a while without receiving an answer from Shen Ruojin. He leaned the upper half of his body off the couch, hooked his hand around her sash, and pulled her back toward the bed. "We'll have to take them off sooner or later anyway, so we might as well save some energy."

Being pulled like this, the military tally hidden on Shen Ruojin's person almost fell out. She hurriedly pressed a hand against it as her body suddenly tilted forward.

Qin Lang reached out and caught her, pulling her right into his arms.

Both exasperated and helpless, Shen Ruojin remarked, "The Young Prince Qin truly lives up to his reputation for fickleness; no matter the time or place, he always maintains this dissolute demeanor."

Qin Lang twisted a lock of her hair around his fingertips and said half-jokingly, "There's only you and me here, and since we have time to spare, we might as well find some amusement, shouldn't we?"

For a moment, Shen Ruojin was left speechless.

Outside, the hurried footsteps of many people echoed back and forth. Someone shouted, "Orders from the Protector-General: Everyone in the estate is to assemble in the front hall for roll call! Anyone who disobeys and fails to appear will be treated strictly as a traitor!"

"Anyone who disobeys and fails to appear will be treated strictly as a traitor!"

The guard patrols beating the gongs repeated the decree line after line.

Judging by the Protector-General's Mansion's determination to tear the place apart to find whoever had taken the military tally, the city gates were likely on heightened alert by now, perhaps just waiting for her to walk right into a trap.

Once the news of the Western Frontier's military tally being stolen leaked out, it would throw the army into chaos. At a time like this, the tally would lose most of its effectiveness, and the soldiers would likely recognize only people, not a lifeless object.

Not just anyone holding the military tally could command the troops.

She had to seize control of the Protector-General of the Western Frontier himself in order to issue orders to the garrison soldiers.

Though leaving the Protector-General's Mansion would be difficult for Shen Ruojin, she could certainly manage it.

However, once she left this place, getting close to Yang Wanxiong again would not be so easy.

Several plans flashed through Shen Ruojin's mind, and she swiftly settled on the most feasible one.

Then, she grasped Qin Lang's hand. "Since you've already come..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Deputy General Zhang and his men returned, shouting loudly from outside the door:

"Young Master Lin, it's not that Zhang insists on disturbing your good time, but the Protector-General has given strict orders: everyone must immediately assemble in the front hall for roll call. Neither you nor the little beauty on your couch can be exceptions. Hurry up and tidy yourselves, and get out here right away!"

"Understood," Qin Lang replied, feigning intense irritation.

Unlike before, Deputy General Zhang and his men did not leave immediately after delivering the message, but instead stopped and waited outside.

To prevent anyone with exceptionally sharp hearing from lurking outside, Shen Ruojin stopped talking details with Qin Lang and communicated only through her eyes.

She had no idea whether the young prince would be able to catch her meaning.

With a single reach, he untied the sash Shen Ruojin had just fastened and even ruffled her hair into a messy state. "That looks more convincing."

Shen Ruojin was already wearing his oversized garments, which trailed on the floor, and with her sash half-undone and wrapped around her haphazardly, she truly looked like someone who had just been dragged straight off the bed mid-act.

Qin Lang had not dressed properly either; he didn't even wear his hair crown, throwing on an outer robe over his casual attire as he rose from the couch and fetched a pair of shoes for Shen Ruojin to wear.

"I can do it myself." Shen Ruojin reached out to take the shoes.

Instead, Qin Lang beat her to it, catching her ankle. As he bent down to put the shoes and socks on her, he lowered his voice and said, "Play it by ear."

Shen Ruojin nodded and stopped insisting on putting on her shoes herself.

The dancing attire she had originally worn had already been torn to shreds by Qin Lang. Fortunately, her veil had survived, so she quickly picked it up from the corner of the bed and put it on.

A moment later, Qin Lang held Shen Ruojin in his arms as they walked toward the exit. The instant the door was pushed open, the gazes of Deputy General Zhang and a crowd of soldiers fell uniformly upon them.

The howling wind and snow blew inward, and Qin Lang raised his sleeve to shield Shen Ruojin, simultaneously blocking Deputy General Zhang and the others from scrutinizing her appearance.

Shen Ruojin's mind was entirely occupied with figuring out how to subdue Yang Wanxiong publicly. If she simply rushed him, a bloody battle would likely be inevitable.

As for feigning seduction, that route was definitely closed to her.

Oh well, she would just have to improvise.

Taking a moment, Shen Ruojin glanced sideways at Qin Lang, feeling for the first time that this man could actually be quite considerate.

Afraid that Deputy General Zhang and the others might recognize her, he had even raised his sleeve to shield her.

Qin Lang was dressed in fine, luxurious brocade robes with wide sleeves, which blocked out a good deal of the biting wind and heavy snow.

Before long, their party arrived at the front hall.

Hundreds of soldiers held torches, illuminating the surroundings brightly.

Everyone else from the Protector-General's Mansion had already arrived.

The dancers and musicians who had previously been entertaining the Protector-General were all standing out in the wind and snow. The beauties were scantily clad, and each of them was shivering from the cold.

The dancer whom Shen Ruojin had knocked unconscious and hidden under the bed had also been found. At that moment, she was groveling in the snow, weeping and pleading for mercy: "I was just changing my clothes when someone suddenly knocked me unconscious! I don't know... I really don't know anything!"

A subordinate at Yang Wanxiong's side drew his saber and placed it directly against the dancer's neck. "Still refusing to tell the truth? You deserve to die!"

With that, he raised his blade to strike.

Shen Ruojin revealed her sleeve arrow, preparing to make a move.

Qin Lang pulled her even tighter into his embrace, pinning her hand down in the process, and spoke up first: "What is the meaning of this? Such a fine beauty that I just presented to the Protector-General, and you're going to execute her?"

The descending blade stopped halfway.

Even in this freezing weather, being held tightly in his arms made Shen Ruojin feel stiflingly warm, to the point of breaking out in a sweat.

"Brother Lin, you're here." Yang Wanxiong looked over at Qin Lang, his gaze clearly entirely different from when they had been drinking together earlier.

It was as if he had already seen through Qin Lang's intentions and knew that he was the one who had stolen the military tally.

The people behind Protector-General Yang also looked as though they were facing a formidable enemy.

"I'm here." Qin Lang acted as if he hadn't noticed a thing. With a hint of displeasure still lingering on his face, he asked, "Just what precious treasure has the Protector-General lost? If you tell me, I can just gift you another one. Why make such a fuss over it?"