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

It was midday in the height of summer, with the sun blazing overhead.

Whether intentionally or not, the two guards holding Shen Ningzhu made her kneel in the sun.

"Wait, Brother Guard, if we're going to kneel anyway, can't we kneel under that tree's shade?" Shen Ningzhu pointed to the large pear tree not far away, her face full of flattery.

Unfortunately, all that flirting is for the blind.

"Behave yourself and kneel here."

If you knew it would be bad, why didn't you do it earlier? If you dared to provoke His Highness the Crown Prince, you should have been prepared for the consequences. Even losing your life, let alone being punished, would be normal.

Shen Ningzhu remained expressionless, but the other party lost patience and kicked her in the calf.

"hiss--"

Shen Ningzhu winced in pain, instinctively gasping for breath. She slowly turned her head, her eyes bloodshot, and looked at the person. "How dare you treat me like this?"

The other party arrogantly raised their head.

"So what if we hit you? Would His Highness punish us for being a promiscuous, shameless country girl like you? What a joke! We are His Highness's personal guards. Who do you think you are to compare yourself to us?"

"Alright, keep a low profile. She is His Highness's woman after all. Don't get yourself into trouble."

"What's there to be afraid of? If it weren't for the fact that Your Highness still needs to keep her around... she wouldn't even be worthy of carrying Your Highness's shoes. If you ask me, with so many women in Jiang Kingdom, why does Your Highness repeatedly humiliate yourself by using a woman you don't like?"

"Alright, it's none of our business as servants to worry about our master's affairs. Let's hurry back."

The two left while talking.

Shen Ningzhu, who was standing to the side, roughly understood what was going on. It turned out that these two were trying to stand up for their master and were deliberately torturing her.

Well, if that's the case, then there's always a way around it. Since no one's watching, she's not going to just stand there in the sun, so she decisively got up and walked into the shade.

He found a clean spot, took out a handkerchief from his pocket, spread it on the ground, and sat down on it.

He rested his chin on his hand, pondering the conversation between the two men.

Judging from the words, Jiang Xuan Yan kept her around because she was useful, but this usefulness wasn't indispensable; any woman would suffice.

What exactly is its purpose?

The idea that he was only after her beauty is immediately ruled out. She had been so seductive in the room just now, yet he remained completely unmoved; he was practically a saint.

Shen Ningzhu frowned, and suddenly, the image of the two of them on the mountain in Tianshui Village flashed through her mind.

He was drugged that time, and then it was at the villa, where he made love to her for the second time. The time interval between the two encounters was exactly half a month.

Shen Ningzhu suddenly understood. Could it be that the effects of the drug hadn't completely worn off yet? It was very possible.

Whether it's true or not, we'll know in another two weeks. If she's right, then she can rest assured.

It's not out of a sense of responsibility or possessiveness that he insists on keeping her. In that case, she just needs to endure until he is completely cured and no longer needs her.

If she were to fake her death again at that time, he probably wouldn't care.

The sound of string and wind instruments drifted from afar, indicating that the banquet had officially begun. She had never seen ancient dancers perform before and really wanted to go inside and take a look.

That damned prince, he resorts to corporal punishment at the slightest provocation.

The banquet was filled with singing and dancing, and half an hour later they began reciting poems and painting, making it quite lively. Shen Ningzhu sat under the tree, feeling drowsy. She figured her punishment time was almost up, and she had no desire to return to the banquet.

Even sitting in the shade of a tree, where a cool breeze occasionally blows, the elaborate palace attire combined with the midday sun makes it just as unbearable.

By now, she was drenched in sweat.