Report to the Empress and the Eldest Princess: They're using the system to poach your men.

[Master, how can you tolerate this?]

【Master, charge! Engage head-on!】

Xiaotong, with a "the more the merrier" mentality, kept fanning the flames.

"Let's fight! Let's fight!"

He was really bored these past two days, and he was happy to watch anything exciting.

My lord, I stand firmly in your side.

"Ha! Do you think I don't know what kind of person you are, Xiaotong?"

How could you say that to me, Master?

Guess what good stuff can be found in that trash bag? You and the Gou system are in cahoots, both full of wicked schemes.

Shen Sangwan rode up rather hastily, catching her breath a few times before speaking once she felt her breathing had calmed down.

"The He family? Is it the He family, the richest family in Wuzhou?"

"This humble subject, He Wenjin, greets Your Highness the Princess. May you live a thousand years!"

"If Young Master He really wants to thank Doctor Mu, he can ask your father to donate more gold and silver to benefit the people."

"As for Doctor Mu, Young Master He need not worry about him."

When facing Shen Sangwan, He Wenjin felt an intense sense of oppression and stood still like a quail.

"You haven't slept for days. Even an iron man wouldn't endure this. Come back to the government office with me."

Shen Sangwan grabbed Wen Yuening's arm, trying to pull her outside, but couldn't budge her.

"It's not as exaggerated as Your Highness makes it out to be. Every evening, I would lean against a pillar and doze off for a long time. Besides, with Doctor Yu and the others around, I didn't feel tired at all."

He showed absolutely no intention of going with her.

"Now that the situation is gradually improving, and as you said, Doctor Yu and the others are here, there's no need for you to keep an eye on them. Come back with me, that's an order."

Shen Sangwan's voice was slightly forceful, but she was inwardly wailing.

With less than ten minutes left in the mission of being alone with her, she didn't know if the main system was deliberately torturing her.

Why did they have to post it at the time of her soup kitchen in the west of the city, and even give her a one-hour time limit?

One is in the west of the city, and the other is in the east. It would take more than an hour to get there by fast horse. She was truly impressed.

She had been wondering why the main system was so hostile towards her since she hadn't been cursing it recently.

"Xiao Tong, when did the Empress become so stubborn? She's like a bull."

Xiao Tong pursed her lips, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping herself.

Why doesn't his master have a single kind word to say?

【Master, if you coax her a little, she might be willing to go with you!】

As she said this, she couldn't help but steal a glance at Wen Yuening. Seeing the other woman's smile, Xiao Tong slowly exhaled.

"I have important matters to discuss with you. Come back with me immediately."

【Hey! Hey! My lord, I asked you to coax the Empress. Is this how you coax someone?】

Xiaotong slapped her forehead, feeling her head buzzing.

This master is beyond saving!

Seeing that Wen Yuening still didn't move, Shen Sangwan decided to resort to force.

He secretly used his internal force to drag it, and then...

To her surprise, the other person remained completely still, staring at her with a half-smile on their face.

How could she forget that this guy must also know martial arts? Otherwise, how could he have scaled the wall to sneak into the Princess's residence and escaped right under Shuyun's nose?

"Your Highness may speak here."

"I... Waaah, Xiaotong, does she know something? This is bullying!"

"Since it's such an important matter, how can you discuss it here?"

With only five minutes left in the mission countdown, Shen Sangwan felt a little anxious.

This treacherous system is hiding some wicked intentions, just waiting for her to stumble.

"What will it take for you to come with me?"

Wen Yuening tilted her head closer, her neck taut. The familiar scent of the fence made Shen Sangwan's heart race, and her ears turned a faint pink.

"I have a question, and I hope Your Highness can answer it..."

"Even if you have thirty questions, I can answer them for you. Come, come with me now."

Taking advantage of her moment of carelessness, Shen Sangwan dragged Wen Yuening and ran away at full speed.

There are too many people in this deserted garden, and there is no space for the two of them to be alone.

Seeing that there was only one minute left, Shen Sangwan first mounted the horse she had come from, and then pulled Wen Yuening up and made her sit in front of her.

He held the person close to his chest, gripped the reins with his left hand, and cracked the whip with his right. The horse neighed and galloped away.

Like an arrow released from a bow, it hurtled northward, stirring up dust.

Shen Sangwan galloped away at top speed toward a less crowded area.

For the first time, she wished that one second could be used as an hour.

After the countdown disappeared and she felt no unusual or uncomfortable symptoms, she slowly tightened the reins, forcing the horse to slow down.

"call--"

Shen Sangwan exhaled a long breath, spraying it all into Wen Yuening's ear. The person in front of her felt a little uncomfortable and shifted her body slightly.

She then realized that her chest was almost pressed against Wen Yuening's back.

Xiao Tong saw Shen Sangwan's cheeks visibly turn red, almost like a groundhog screaming.

But then something else suddenly occurred to me!

It’s over!

No matter how I look at it, I feel like my master is all talk and no action, and when it comes to actual combat, he's like a shy little girl.

My face turned this red without me doing anything.

There's no way to win her over yet. Given the Empress's cunning nature, my master is probably going to be completely under her thumb!

He's talking to the main system about whether he can switch hosts; he wants to kidnap the Empress.

"Your Highness, this is not the way back to the government office."

Fortunately, the streets were deserted due to the plague; otherwise, their frantic horseback riding today would surely have led to an accident.

"what--?"

"Did I...did I say I wanted to go back to the government office?"

Shen Sangwan unconsciously moved a little closer.

It's really strange. I just wipe my body every day, so why does the person in my arms still smell so good?

For some reason, the horse suddenly lurched.

Shen Sangwan's head happened to be buried in Wen Yuening's right neck.

When the slightly upturned, cool nose touched the warm skin, both of them were stunned.

Startled, Shen Sangwan immediately pulled on the reins, stopped the horse, and hurriedly jumped off.

"That... just now... I... I didn't mean to."

"Oh no, this is so embarrassing."

"The Empress really smells wonderful, and her body is so supple. It's a pity I was too nervous to properly hold her waist."

Next time I'll definitely give you a proper hug!

[Next time for sure.]

[My master only ever says "I despise you" in words.]

Wen Yuening was still on horseback, looking down at Shen Sangwan from her high position.

She felt a little disappointed, but when she heard Shen Sangwan say "I'll definitely do it next time," a glimmer of hope arose within her.

When she heard Shen Sangwan's innermost thoughts that day, she had a bold guess in her mind.

Although it seemed unbelievable, based on my memories of my past life, I suddenly realized that it wasn't entirely impossible.

She was overjoyed for a long time after confirming that the person in front of her was indeed her prince.

She seemed to like His Highness more now.

"Your Highness, I didn't hear what you just said because of the strong wind."

"Xiao Tong, the Empress is playing dumb, feigning ignorance and muteness—she's a real scoundrel."

"Master, please refrain from hurling insults!"

"No...nothing!"