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

After saying that, he turned to the dumbfounded maid and said, "Go and tell the steward to grab some weapons and beat them out. Oh, and by the way, don't let Jiang Xuan Yan's people in the shadows make a move; their disguises can't be exposed."

The maid agreed and left.

Afterwards, Liu Zhiyi accompanied Shen Ningzhu to breakfast, but found that she had little appetite and seemed uninterested.

She seemed uninterested in everything, so I invited her to take a walk in the yard.

After all, staying cooped up indoors every day isn't a solution.

Shen Ningzhu didn't want to refuse her kindness, so after thinking for a moment, she suggested,

“I just heard that a lot of beans were soaked in the kitchen yesterday, and they’re planning to make some tofu today. Let’s go see if there are any beans left. If there are, why don’t we take advantage of the good weather and plant some bean sprouts in the yard?”

"The weather is getting colder every day. Once the bean sprouts are grown, will you make me some spicy blood curd?"

Shen Ningzhu shook Liu Zhiyi's arm and acted coquettishly.

With so many cattle raised on the estate, it can easily make everything from spicy blood curd to hot pot and mala tang.

Liu Zhiyi agreed without hesitation.

The two were unlucky; when they arrived at the kitchen, the old woman inside was just putting the last handful of beans into the millstone.

A hint of disappointment flashed across Shen Ningzhu's eyes. Liu Zhiyi quickly instructed that she make some more tonight and come over tomorrow to help Shen Ningzhu plant bean sprouts together.

Before leaving, he mentioned that the autumn harvest was approaching in the villages on the outskirts of Beijing and asked if she wanted to go and see for herself in the next few days to experience the joy of the harvest.

Shen Ningzhu knew that she wanted to help her find something to do so that she wouldn't be living a aimless life, so she agreed.

I later heard that Jiang Qingyi made a scene at the door for a while for some reason, and then suddenly left. She had seemed determined to get what she wanted at first, but suddenly changed her mind.

Not long after, the butler came into the room again and handed over a gold-embossed invitation.

It's from the Princess's residence again.

Shen Ningzhu's face turned cold.

"Isn't this woman a bit too persistent? She ignored the flower viewing banquet before because Xiaoyi suddenly had an accident, but now she's throwing in a winding stream party. Does she have a lot of free time?"

Yun'er smiled and replied,

"What are you saying, Madam? She's just a leisurely princess. What else could she possibly do all day besides indulging in refined pursuits?"

Shen Ningzhu also realized that in this era there are no 996 or 007 work schedules, and Jiang Qingyi doesn't have to manage the household for her husband, so she is indeed a bit idle.

"Oh, by the way, the messenger said they also sent an invitation to the Prime Minister's residence," the steward added.

Shen Ningzhu took a sip of hot tea, savoring the delicate fragrance of the priceless snow mountain mist tea on her tongue, and slightly curved the corners of her lips.

"They specifically mentioned that, they're determined to make me show up!"

"Alright, we've been back in the capital for so long, it's time to return the favor to this princess. Go and tell her that I will definitely attend on time."

The butler responded, bowed, and slowly left the room.

Yun'er said with some worry,

“Madam, Jiang Qingyi’s two visits were both ill-intentioned. I suppose this time, she also wants to test whether there is still any relationship between you and the Emperor.”

"This servant is worried that she may have ill intentions at this gathering."

Shen Ningzhu didn't care about that.

Putting aside the fact that Liu Zhiyi is the wife of the Prime Minister, a princess with nothing behind her should think twice before trying to harm her, the most powerful minister in Jiang Kingdom and his beloved best friend.

Furthermore, Jiang Xuan Yan is already the emperor. If he still allows her to be bullied under his nose, then he would be too pathetic as an emperor.

Although she forbade him to reveal their relationship, as an emperor, if he truly wanted to protect her, he would always find a way.

imperial study room

Jiang Xuan Yan, who was frantically reviewing memorials, suddenly sneezed several times in a row, causing him to frown.

Sanfu quickly stepped forward with a concerned expression.

"What's wrong with Your Majesty? Have you caught a cold?"

As he spoke, he gave a wink to a young eunuch not far away, who quickly brought over a cup of hot tea and placed it on the table.

With a smile on his chubby face, Sanfu whispered, "Your Majesty, you've been working hard all day. Why don't you take a break, have some tea to soothe your throat, and then continue your work?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xuan Yan gently placed the wolf-hair brush in his hand on the inkstone engraved with the "Ten Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains" painting.

He nodded slightly.

Sanfu was overjoyed. He quickly took out his silver needle and carefully examined the tea. Seeing that it was indeed non-toxic, he poured a third of the tea into another teacup and drank it down in one gulp.

After a few moments, he handed the tea to Jiang Xuanyan.

After a while, the once fragrant tea had lost its warmth.

Jiang Xuan Yan seemed used to this. He took two sips of tea and then pushed it aside. After a pause, he lifted his eyelids slightly and said, "Go, have Qing Feng from the Crown Prince's palace come to see me."

"Yes."

A short while later, two people walked into the hall.

The one in front was Sanfu, and the one following half a step behind him was Qingfeng.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."

The person above was still engrossed in his official duties when he heard this. He lifted his eyelids slightly and gave a soft "hmm" in a deep voice.

"Get up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

After that, the hall fell silent, with only the sound of pages turning and the scratching of pens on paper.

Jiang Xuan Yan noticeably sped up his work, while Qing Feng stood meekly to the side, not daring to utter a sound to disturb him.

Only after the man above finished reviewing the memorial in his hand, closed it, and placed it on top of a stack of memorials did he put down his brush, raise his head, and cast a glance at Qingfeng.

"You are very good."

His voice was deep and authoritative, and his every move exuded a kingly aura, making people's knees buckle and subconsciously want to submit.

To everyone's surprise, the first thing he said was this.

This time, not only Qingfeng was stunned, but even Sanfu, who had been serving the emperor, was also a little taken aback and stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

Sanfu cautiously raised his head, glancing at Jiang Xuanyan's expression out of the corner of his eye.

Seeing his calm demeanor, which didn't seem like sarcasm, I was even more puzzled.

Not long ago, the Emperor was openly and secretly tormenting Qingfeng, and even His Highness the Crown Prince knew about it.

Just now, when he went to invite someone, the Crown Prince looked at him with eyes that seemed to hate him so much he wanted to eat him alive. He stretched out his hands like a protective mother, standing between him and Qingfeng, and even declared that he would never let Jiang Xuanyan bully Qingfeng again.

The little boy glared at him angrily and shamelessly called out his father's name, making Sanfu's scalp tingle with rage.

Does he know that the Jiang Xuan Yan he's talking about is not only his father, but also the current emperor?

He's truly an unruly brat.

Sanfu said many nice things, but he insisted on coming to the Imperial Study with Qingfeng. In the end, Qingfeng had to coax and persuade him before he finally gave up.