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

"Pfft-"

A suppressed laugh came from behind them. The two looked over at the same time and saw Sanfu biting his lip tightly, his chubby face turning red.

"Are you very free?" Jiang Xuan Yan said coldly.

Sanfu quickly buried his head in his chest, saying, "Your subordinate knows his mistake."

"It's good that you know you're wrong. Get down and receive ten strokes of the military rod."

Sanfu's handsome face fell, as if he had lost his parents. "Yes, Your subordinate takes his leave."

Seeing that Shen Ningzhu was sensible, Jiang Xuan Yan's expression gradually softened, and he actually spared her punishment. However, he did not mention letting her leave, only telling her to rest assured, go back and get some rest, and that he would give her an explanation.

Shen Ningzhu was dumbfounded.

What is she at ease about? An explanation? She doesn't need his explanation, really, not at all.

Before she could even utter a word, Jiang Xuanyan had already exited through the archway, leaving Shen Ningzhu feeling utterly bewildered.

The other person's tone was unquestionable, and he left without hesitation, as if he was certain that she would agree. If she were to refute him repeatedly at this point, it would likely backfire.

For now, we can only take it one step at a time.

Shen Ningzhu shook her head in annoyance, and was about to carry the water back to her room when two maids suddenly appeared out of nowhere, each grabbing one of her arms and grinning from ear to ear:

"Miss, please don't move. How can I let you use such vulgar language? Leave it to me."

The visitors were two maids from the villa, Zhiyi and Zhiyuan. One was twelve years old, and the other was thirteen. They were both from poor families who had been sold into servitude, and their contracts were all for life. If nothing unexpected happened, they would probably never leave this villa in their lifetime. The one who had just spoken was Zhiyi.

Shen Ningzhu put down the bucket and put on a smile.

"Why are you here?"

The three of them had become quite familiar with each other over the past few days and spoke much more casually. But why were they referring to themselves as servants again now?

Paper Kite smiled warmly: "It's nothing, I just came to see you after I finished my work."

Zhi Yi said, "We originally thought that you were frail and had been working hard all day, so we came over to lend a hand and do something for you after we finished our work. But... Miss, please don't misunderstand, we didn't mean to peek."

"..."

Zhiyuan glanced at Zhiyi, pursed her lips, and cautiously looked at Shen Ningzhu.

She was a little older than Zhiyi, and naturally knew more about things. What happened today was indeed not intentional on Zhiyi's part. However, she had noticed the Crown Prince coming this way early in the morning, and that's why she deliberately found an excuse to bring Zhiyi along.

The purpose was to have an explanation in case someone found out.

Having observed what had just happened, Zhiyuan had already made up her mind. She was certain that the Crown Prince treated Shen Ningzhu differently, which was good. In that case, all she needed to do now was to win over Shen Ningzhu and try to please her. That way, she wouldn't have to worry about not being able to see His Highness in the future.

Shen Ningzhu was unaware that her daughter, despite her young age, had so many thoughts, and simply smiled shyly and said:

"What's the big deal? His Highness the Crown Prince was just passing by and said a few words to me casually. It's not like it's something shameful. You saw it, so you saw it."

Upon hearing this, the two of them immediately beamed with joy and spoke at the same time.

"That's fine, that's fine."

Zhiyi chattered on, saying that thanks to Shen Ningzhu, she actually got to see His Highness the Crown Prince in her lifetime. Although she didn't get to speak to him, she felt that even if she died, it would be worth it.

So he patted his chest and solemnly told her that he would take care of all the small things like preparing bath water for Shen Ningzhu from now on.

Zhiyuan didn't say anything, but she looked at Shen Ningzhu with a smile, which made Shen Ningzhu feel a little amused and exasperated.

Is this the ancient version of idol worship?

In that case, these two are definitely die-hard fans, brainless fans, and fanatics of the Crown Prince.

Shen Ningzhu couldn't understand this emotion, but she didn't pay much attention to it.

The two of them warmly helped Shen Ningzhu prepare the water, cleaned the bathtub, added hot water, and only returned to their own room after everything was ready.

Shen Ningzhu loves taking baths, and she can soak for quite a while. She also doesn't like being waited on, which they knew, so they left after preparing everything for her.

Shen Ningzhu slowly took off her clothes, stepped into the bathtub, and the moment she sat down, she felt as if every pore on her body was opening up. She closed her eyes and groaned in comfort.

“It’s so comfortable~”

Having worn this costume for so long, this is the most comfortable moment of the day. I'm enjoying the feeling of my skin being enveloped by hot water, and my whole body is relaxing.

Just as she was getting drowsy from soaking in the bath, the door was suddenly opened, and before she could react, a tall, slender figure darted in like a ghost.

Shen Ningzhu was so frightened that her face turned pale. She instinctively tried to scream, but before she could make a sound, a rough hand covered her mouth and nose tightly.

"..."

This guy is probably an idiot. Just cover her mouth, leave her nose to breathe!

Fortunately, the other person reacted quickly, moving their hand down slightly. With this simple movement, the calluses on their hands rubbed against her delicate skin, causing her face to sting.

Looking at the red mark next to it, the man subconsciously frowned. "So delicate."

"..."