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

Madam Li, however, was not convinced.

Having decided to side with Prince Chen, there is no turning back. If they don't climb this high branch as soon as possible, their status will surely rise if he succeeds in the future.

By then, what role will these lowly county officials play?

Seeing that he couldn't reason with him, Li Mu simply insisted that the matter should be handled according to his wishes, then turned and left angrily.

Li Jiaojiao was furious. "Mother, look at Father!"

Madam Li snorted softly, then squeezed her daughter's small hand reassuringly, smiling as she comforted her.

"Don't worry, my dear. Your father is just too timid. He's always afraid of everything, which is why he's only been able to become a minor official after working hard for half his life."

"From today onwards, you just need to take care of yourself and keep yourself fair and tender. You don't need to worry about anything else. Leave this to your mother."

Li Jiaojiao instantly stopped crying and started laughing, nodded vigorously, threw herself into Madam Li's arms, and said sweetly,

"Daughters always listen to their mothers; a mother is the best to her daughter."

Shen Ningzhu had just seen off the county magistrate and his daughter when the maids discreetly withdrew and closed the door. Now, only Shen Ningzhu and Jiang Yanche remained in the room.

Are you satisfied with this outcome?

The man leaned back lazily in his chair, a faint smile playing on his lips as he stared at Shen Ningzhu.

Shen Ningzhu calmly picked up the teacup beside her, gently scraped the surface with the lid, and slowly took a sip before looking up, her fox-like eyes smiling.

"good."

The man let out a low "heh," and sighed.

"She's really hard to coax. You know, women are more charming when they're a little gentle. Being too stubborn isn't a good thing."

"If you truly do not wish to be Jiang Xuan Yan's empress, why not consider me? If you help me, I am willing to share the world with you, what do you say?"

Shen Ningzhu pursed her lips.

"Your Highness flatters me. I am just a humble village girl. How can I possibly help you?"

"Of course, it's to help me kill Jiang Xuan Yan. In this world, there is no one more capable than you to kill him."

Shen Ningzhu ignored him and continued drinking tea and eating snacks.

Jiang Yanche's eyes gradually dimmed. He suddenly stood up and said with a forced smile,

"Fine, think about it yourself."

"If you've thought it through, then cooperate with me properly tomorrow. It doesn't matter if you don't cooperate; it'll just take a little more effort and result in some manpower losses, which I can afford."

But what will happen to you and your child after it's all over is hard to say.

As he spoke, he bent down.

He leaned close to her ear, his cool breath spraying onto her skin, giving her the sensation of a venomous snake flicking its tongue, making her feel uncomfortable and instantly raising goosebumps.

"Zhuzhu, I know you have some special talents, which I admire and am very interested in."

"If you behave well, I will not make things difficult for you and your child, and I will even give you many benefits."

"So, think it over carefully and take care of yourself."

After that, he strode away.

Shen Ningzhu lowered her eyes and let out a cold laugh.

Her child is already a prince, what more could she want? It's truly laughable.

Judging from the situation just now, there are two personal servants in this courtyard and five people doing odd jobs.

There were seven people in total. It seemed that only one maid was Jiang Yanche's person, and the rest were all from the county magistrate's mansion.

This is easy to handle.

There's still some time before the agreed time tomorrow, and Jiang Yanche should be down making arrangements, so he probably won't have much energy to focus on her.

Shen Ningzhu frowned in thought.

Should we try to escape, or wait for Li Jiaojiao to make a move?

She wasn't confident she could escape on her own. These high walls were too much for her to climb over, and she dared not make a move rashly, for fear of alerting the enemy.

They dared not place all their hopes on Li Jiaojiao, in case she didn't make a move before tomorrow.

After much deliberation, Shen Ningzhu decided to wait until midnight. If Li Jiaojiao hadn't made a move by then, she would flee under cover of darkness. If all else failed, she could find a secluded place to hide.

It was getting dark quickly.

During this time, Jiang Yanche came to see her briefly and found that she was not crying or making a fuss and was eating and drinking well.

She asked the maid and learned that no one had come to cause trouble. Shen Ningzhu hadn't even stepped out of the room, so she was immediately relieved.

Her expression softened slightly, and she immediately instructed the maid to take good care of her before hurriedly leaving.

Unexpectedly, no sooner had he left than a richly dressed lady entered the house.

The newcomer had a dignified appearance, with a hint of meanness in his eyes, and appeared to be around thirty or forty years old. At this moment, he was looking at Shen Ningzhu with an arrogant air, his eyes filled with deep contempt.

"No wonder the master values ​​you so much. Look at this pretty little face, you really are a born vixen."

Shen Ningzhu's eyes darted around, and she suddenly covered her face with her hands, sobbing timidly.

"Madam, please save me! Waaah! I was actually forcibly abducted. In reality, I have a husband and children and I have no desire to curry favor with the powerful. I beg you, Madam, to have mercy and spare my life."

"Rest assured, once I leave, I will take my husband and children far away and hide them so that no one can find them and I will not implicate you, Madam."

These words were spoken with such sincerity that they left Madam Li speechless.

She never expected that the truth would be like this.

"Are you really married with children?"

Shen Ningzhu nodded, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Although we are not from a wealthy family, we have no worries about food, and we have a warm bed with our children and husband. We are very happy."

Madam Li was still not entirely convinced.

Could there really be someone who doesn't crave wealth and status? You know, even her cowardly husband hopes to climb up to Prince Chen and ascend to heaven.

She narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing Shen Ningzhu with a sharp gaze. After a long while, she gave a wink to the old woman behind her.

The old nanny, with a stern face, stepped forward, carefully examined Shen Ningzhu, slowly circled her once, and then nodded to Madam Li.

"I have indeed given birth, several years ago."

Shen Ningzhu raised an eyebrow, thinking to herself, "This old nanny from ancient times is really amazing. She can know so much just by looking at her eyes. It's truly astonishing."

Mrs. Li finally felt at peace.

He had originally planned to secretly kill Shen Ningzhu, but seeing how sensible she was now, he felt that she was also a pitiful person.

Moreover, there are children at home.

And so, a feeling of compassion arose in his heart. He sighed deeply and said,

"Fine, give her some travel money and let her leave through the back door without anyone noticing."

After saying that, he gave Shen Ningzhu a warning look.

"Remember this, you better keep your word. If I find out you've played me, I'll do everything in my power to make sure you suffer a terrible death."

Shen Ningzhu was extremely grateful and almost mistook the other party for her second parents.

She was also subtly reminded that there was a square-faced maid in the courtyard, who was probably one of Jiang Yanche's people, and that she should be careful.