Best friends dressed up in ancient times to become mistresses? You run, I run too!

After all, such good things would cost a lot of money if she wanted to buy them. She doesn't lack money now, but having more money is never a bad thing!

Especially in ancient times, women were not allowed to show their faces in public easily, otherwise they would be criticized.

Earning money is much harder for them than for men.

Although she and Liu Zhiyi didn't care about their reputation, in some places the local customs were fierce, and a woman with a bad reputation could be dragged into a pig cage and drowned.

For the sake of their lives, the two had to keep a very low profile.

This is also why Liu Zhiyi bought Chen Aniu and kept him by her side.

Moreover, the saying "money makes the world go round" is an eternal truth, applicable to any time and place.

Having more money on hand can be a lifesaver in a pinch!

So even if you have money, you have to be careful with it!

Liu Zhiyi sighed and rubbed her forehead in exasperation.

"Zhuzhu, you should be more careful. These are all things that are in the open. If you take them, won't people find out soon?"

By then, they'll have no chance of escaping.

Shen Ningzhu, however, was confident and said there was no problem.

He was a dog, but he was a diligent and benevolent prince. During the day, he mostly stayed in his study, only returning to his quarters late at night.

He was either handling official business or reading all sorts of miscellaneous books and rare editions.

His dormitory room is usually off-limits to anyone.

So by the time he realized something was missing, it was already past midnight, and by then they had already run away.

Sure enough, no one noticed anything unusual until nightfall, when the moon was high in the sky. At that moment, Song Hanchuan and his personal guard Qingyun arrived as promised.

"Are you ready?"

"Okay, let's set off immediately."

Song Hanchuan put his arm around Liu Zhiyi's waist and led her over one high wall after another, with Qingyun and Shen Ningzhu following closely behind.

Two dark figures, like ghosts, quickly landed in a small alley outside the Crown Prince's residence.

There was a carriage that had been prepared long ago.

The three quickly boarded the carriage, and Qingyun untied the reins and began to drive.

Should we leave the city now?

This was something they had agreed upon at the beginning.

Liu Zhiyi smiled at him and nodded. The carriage traveled smoothly all the way and soon arrived at the city gate.

It's unclear what Qingyun showed the other party, but in any case, the city gates opened very quickly.

The carriage left the city smoothly and traveled along the official road. After nearly half an hour, Song Hanchuan said:

"We're still some distance from the next town. If you two are tired, you can take a short rest."

Liu Zhiyi smiled and shook her head. Suddenly, Song Hanchuan felt a blur before his eyes, and his body became weak and powerless.

Immediately afterwards, a "thump" came from the carriage shaft; it turned out that Qingyun had fallen to the side, unconscious.

Song Hanchuan's eyes showed some hurt.

"Why?"

He didn't ask what Liu Zhiyi had done to him, but rather why. He probably knew they meant no harm; they just wanted to get rid of him.

Liu Zhiyi did not answer him.

Seeing him close his eyes unwillingly, he sighed, pulled Shen Ningzhu down from the carriage, and ran towards the path not far away.

When they had run a hundred meters, the carriage driven by Chen Aniu had been waiting for them for a long time.

The group first went to an inconspicuous estate under Liu Zhiyi's name.

I plan to return to my small courtyard in the capital once things have calmed down. As the saying goes, the darkest place is under the lamp; the most dangerous place may be the safest place.

Drunken Immortal Pavilion in the capital

In a luxurious private room on the third floor, Jiang Xuanyan was drinking glass after glass of wine.

Pei Yun Chu, who was standing nearby, followed suit.

The Crown Prince of Yan, Jiang Bei, with a long face, looked at this person and then that person, and said irritably.

"Hey you two, are you alright? It's past midnight, why aren't you home sleeping? You're inexplicably drinking here, and you even dragged me along. Hey, what do I owe you?"

Jiang Xuan Yan did not look up.

Pei Yun Chu said sullenly, "If you're not here, who will take care of us when we get drunk?"

If you're unlucky enough to run into an enemy, you might even get killed on the spot. Wouldn't it be great if someone were there to protect you?

"If you know no one's going to stop you, why don't you just not drink it?"

"Tell me about you two, a young general and the crown prince, instead of going home, you're out drinking in the middle of the night. Won't people laugh at you if word gets out?"

"You have no worries, but I have a beautiful wife."

If I don't go home soon, my wife won't stand for it. If she starts arguing with me again, I'll be in big trouble.

Pei Yunchu said sourly,

"What's so great about a beautiful woman? Look at A-Yan's once peaceful Crown Prince's residence, now it's in complete chaos because of that woman. If you ask me, it's much more comfortable and carefree to be alone."

Jiang Xuan Yan sneered.

"Sour grapes. As far as I know, you confessed your feelings to the girl today, and were rejected again."

Jiang Bei's eyes lit up, and he said with a look of amused curiosity.

"What an interesting story! Tell me which girl it is, so I can have a good laugh."

Pei Yun Chu: ...

A bunch of bad friends who only know how to rub salt in people's wounds and gloat over their misfortunes.

"Oh dear, our dashing and debonair General Pei has actually been rejected?"

If I remember correctly, it's always you rejecting people, immediately complaining that these ladies from wealthy families are too ugly. Over the years, that's made quite a few noblewomen cry.

Unexpectedly, I was rejected by the girl today?

It's true what they say, what goes around comes around! No, he needs to find a place to secretly laugh for a while.

Pei Yun Chu glared angrily at Jiang Bei, looking at him like that.

"Laugh if you want. She's just a maid. Since she doesn't know what's good for her, then I don't care about her anymore."

"Even if she regrets it and begs me for forgiveness later, I won't want her anymore, hmph—"

Jiangbei: ...

Interesting. I suddenly really want to see what kind of maid she is, that she has such courage.

The betrothal ceremony went smoothly, and the prime minister didn't cause any trouble. Logically, this should have been a good thing, but…

For some reason, Jiang Xuan Yan felt inexplicably irritable today, with a sense of unease in his heart.

The thought of Shen Ningzhu still causing trouble at the main courtyard gate made him not want to go back to the Crown Prince's residence.

But hiding like this isn't a long-term solution.

Counting the days, the two have been together for a month or two, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, she should be pregnant by now.

Why not go back and promise her that if she gets pregnant, I'll promote her to a concubine? That should surely calm her down, right?

Jiang Xuan Yan frowned deeply, pondering the possibility of this matter.

"It's getting late, I'm going back to my residence. Please make yourselves at home."

Jiang Xuan Yan got up and left.

Jiang Bei, as if granted a pardon, immediately perked up and prepared to leave. Only Pei Yun Chu remained sullenly in place, still drinking alone.

We're halfway through Jiangbei.

……

Upon returning to the Crown Prince's residence, Jiang Xuanyan immediately inquired whether Shen Ningzhu was still in the main courtyard.

Hearing that she had returned to the abandoned courtyard by dark, Jiang Xuan Yan breathed a barely perceptible sigh of relief.

He strode back to his dorm room.

Upon entering, I realized that something seemed off about the house. To be precise, many things were missing, and the room looked dusty and empty.

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that many valuable items in the house were now gone.