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

It was a wild, untamed force, like weeds, or a spark that could ignite a prairie fire if not handled carefully…

His intuition told him that this thing was extremely dangerous, so he quickly extinguished it; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Realizing that all of this was because of the woman in front of him, Jiang Xuan Yan's expression instantly turned cold as he looked at Shen Ning Zhu.

"What are you doing there?"

Jiang Xuan Yan's tone was rather unpleasant, icy and chilling. Shen Ning Zhu, whose thoughts were already far away, was so startled by his words that she almost jumped up.

"Your Highness...Your Highness, what brings you here?"

"How dare you, Shen Ningzhu! You dare to ask about His Highness the Crown Prince's whereabouts instead of kneeling before him?" Sanfu shouted.

Shen Ningzhu: "..."

Shen Ningzhu knelt down without hesitation. "It was I who overstepped my bounds, but I was just asking casually and had no other intention. Please forgive me, Your Highness."

He had a meek and obedient appearance, and was well-behaved and polite.

"Also, Your Highness, I am fetching water."

"Oh? Is that so?" Jiang Xuan Yan's tone was indifferent, revealing no specific emotion. "If you hadn't said anything, I would have thought you were reflecting on your mistakes here! What, am I a ghost? Is it really necessary to be so scared just because I asked you a question?"

Shen Ningzhu rolled her eyes inwardly.

You're practically a ghost, aren't you? What normal person walks without making a sound like them?

He smiled and said, "Your Highness is joking. How can there be a ghost as handsome as you? By the way, did Your Highness come to see me about something?"

Jiang Xuan Yan was taken aback.

This woman actually complimented his looks so bluntly? How shameless!

I used to think she had changed her personality, but now it seems she really has; she's become even more shameless and brazen.

Shen Ningzhu didn't want to waste her breath arguing with him. This person was dangerous, and she just wanted to finish her credits in a month as soon as possible and leave. As for this person, she hoped he would stay as far away from her as possible.

A fleeting emotion flashed across Shen Ningzhu's eyes, clearly indicating her unwillingness to engage in conversation, which Jiang Xuanyan keenly noticed.

He grew up in the palace from a young age and was already extremely meticulous.

He didn't speak, his narrow phoenix eyes narrowed dangerously, his cold gaze locked on the top of her head, lingering for a long time, as if he were thinking about something. Shen Ningzhu's knees were numb from kneeling, but she didn't dare to ask, let alone look up, and could only remain in the same position.

After a long while, the people above finally made a move.

"Shen Ningzhu, are you afraid of me?"

"Nonsense, you can decide someone's life or death with a single word, who wouldn't be afraid?" Shen Ningzhu thought to herself, but put on a stiff smile and tried her best to speak in a gentle and pleasant voice.

"Naturally, Your Highness is second only to the emperor and above all others. You are also born with the grace and beauty of a dragon and a phoenix, like a celestial being descended to earth. You are noble and aloof. People admire and respect you, and I am no different from them."

Are they the same as them?

How can they be the same? Doesn't she admire him?

She wasn't like this in front of him before; she wasn't so unrestrained and audacious, full of foolish greed.

If it weren't for her having a capable father and two outstanding brothers, all serving in the same court, making things too ugly and causing everyone to lose face, he would have already...

But why did he feel something different when he saw her these two times? Was it just his imagination?

Or perhaps, having suddenly lost her status as a young lady, she gained a profound understanding of life?

No, he preferred to believe that while mountains and rivers may change, a person's nature is hard to alter.

If she's that kind of person, how could she suddenly change her nature? Unless everything before was a pretense.

However, he couldn't be bothered with these petty squabbles in the inner quarters and simply decided not to think about them.

"Shen Ningzhu, I heard you're pretty good at using chamber pots."

Jiang Xuan Yan suddenly said this, and Shen Ning Zhu was stunned. She thought to herself, "Would this guy shorten her punishment period because he thinks she's done well?"

She instantly beamed with joy, her eager gaze fixed on him.

"I will do my utmost to fulfill Your Highness's orders, even at the cost of my life."

Praise me! Quickly forgive my punishment!

Shen Ningzhu was mentally cosplaying wildly.

Unfortunately, Jiang Xuan Yan interpreted her eager expression as her constantly smiling at him and sending him flirtatious glances.

Caught off guard, I was dazzled by that bright smile. For some reason, my heart felt like it had been squeezed hard, and it stopped for a moment before pounding faster and faster.

He instinctively pressed his hand to his chest, his brows furrowing in displeasure.

He didn't like this feeling of being out of control.

But this woman in front of him made him lose control time and time again; she truly was a femme fatale.

Jiang Xuan Yan forcibly suppressed the strange feeling in his heart, refusing to admit that it was his fault. He blamed it on the fact that the woman was too alluring, with such captivating eyes and brows, that she looked like a woman who could bring ruin to the country.

Thinking of this, he became even less friendly towards the person in front of him.

"Heh, since you like refreshing, then keep refreshing."

After saying that, he ignored Shen Ningzhu and left with a flick of his sleeve.

By the time Shen Ningzhu realized what was happening, he was already almost out of the archway. Startled, Shen Ningzhu rushed forward without thinking, blocked his path, and knelt down with a thud, tears streaming down her face.

(Kneeling too hard, the ground blocked the way)

"Your Highness, please forgive me. I know I was wrong. Please have mercy and stop making me clean the chamber pot. If I keep doing that, I'll become the chamber pot myself."

Shen Ningzhu said with a mournful face.

With 100,000 taels of silver notes in her pocket, why would she stay here cleaning chamber pots when there are so many other things she could do?