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

Even strong men who practice martial arts can't withstand it, let alone someone as delicate and frail as her.

No, she absolutely cannot accept the punishment.

"Your Highness—"

Jiang Xuan Yan ignored her panic, looking down at her with his usual cold gaze.

"Don't call me 'I,' Shen Ningzhu. You need to know that you brought all of this upon yourself."

"Minister Shen is right. You really need to work on your temperament."

"I came here today specifically to make things clear to you. Shen Ningzhu, I will never have only one woman in my life, so I advise you to put away your messy and inappropriate thoughts as soon as possible."

"Furthermore, the day after tomorrow morning, I will send someone to fetch you to my residence, where you will be a concubine."

The commanding tone annoyed Shen Ningzhu, who really wanted to slap him twice.

Pshaw—

What a scumbag! He's wasting his one-of-a-kind handsome face. He keeps talking about taking responsibility, but all he does is make her his concubine, and then he acts like he's doing her a favor.

Who do you look down on?

"No way! What respectable family would send their daughter to be someone's concubine? I won't go, I'd rather die than go."

Jiang Xuan Yan's jawline suddenly tightened, his face instantly hardening, and impatience welled up in his eyes once more.

"Shen Ningzhu, my patience is limited. You'd better know when to stop, or you'll end up with nothing."

Shen Ningzhu turned her head away, looking completely unfazed, "Anyway, I'm not going to be a concubine."

Jiang Xuanyan: "..."

He wanted to turn around and leave, but when he thought that he had forced himself on her and that he was in the wrong, he suppressed his anger and tried to persuade her gently.

“Shen Ningzhu, you should know that there are different kinds of concubines. The concubines in the Eastern Palace are different from ordinary concubines.”

"Being my concubine is much more respectable than being an ordinary official's wife."

"Even the maids in the Eastern Palace are daughters of officials of the fifth rank or above."

"You come from a peasant family. If it weren't for the chance that I took your body, you probably wouldn't even have been able to get close to the Crown Prince's palace."

Shen Ningzhu sneered repeatedly.

"Isn't His Highness's concubine a concubine? What does it matter if she's gilded and decorated? A concubine is still a concubine. In life, she can't call her husband 'husband,' and in death, she can't share a coffin with him."

"One must be obsequious to one's husband and mistress, serving them tea and water, and referring to oneself as a servant."

"Didn't Your Highness feel guilty for taking my body and want to take responsibility for me?"

"I don't understand. You're not taking responsibility for me. I'm just a peasant girl, and I'm still a good person. But by taking responsibility for me like this, I've become a lowly person."

"If Your Highness is in a good mood, you might even grant me a child."

"I'm in a bad mood. This lowly status doesn't even qualify me to have a child."

"A child born after ten months of pregnancy and life-or-death experiences must also call someone else's mother, and even meeting her requires the other person's permission."

"Heh, is this what Your Highness meant by taking responsibility?"

It's unclear how Zhiyuan and Zhiyi persuaded the Shen father and son, but now, the area outside the door has become quiet.

The atmosphere inside was somewhat tense, but Shen Ningzhu remained resolute.

"Your Highness, please return. You were born to be high above, and you are not someone a peasant girl like me can aspire to. So I give up."

"Your Highness, please pretend that all that happened before never happened. From now on, we may meet again in the mountains and rivers, but we will never meet again in the martial world."

After saying this with feigned nonchalance, he looked up and bumped into a livid, menacing face.

Shen Ningzhu: "..."

Her heart raced; this bastard's aura was truly intimidating. But she couldn't back down now; she had to throw a tantrum.

She needs to annoy him until he's fed up and can't wait to get rid of her as a burden. Only then will she have a chance to be free.