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

Jiang Yanche then snorted coldly, "Go back and receive ten strokes of the military rod yourself."

"Yes."

"Spend your time honing your skills, instead of becoming like those gossipy women in the inner quarters who only know how to talk about gossip and spread rumors all day long."

Yuan Yi:......

His lips twitched violently. "A scholar can be killed but not humiliated." "A gossipy woman?" Who was he doing all this for? Fine, he's just being nosy.

"I obey my orders."

Jiang Yanche glared at him, then looked back at the side gate, his thin lips slowly curving into a smile.

Shen Ningzhu, Shen Ningzhu...

This woman is truly an enigma, someone who is impossible to fathom.

On one hand, she loudly proclaims her love for the Crown Prince, asserting her dominance everywhere and wanting the whole world to know. On the other hand, she tries to escape from the Crown Prince, resorting to painstaking scheming.

Outwardly, they are vicious, reckless, arrogant, and domineering; when alone, they are gentle, quiet, and kind-hearted.

Seemingly foolish, but actually shrewd and clear-headed.

What is the purpose of this contradiction?

She was just a young woman who had just come of age, yet she had such a complex side, which made people really curious about what she was thinking.

Ah, it seems this trip to the capital wasn't in vain.

Although he failed to kill Jiang Xuan Yan, he did encounter a woman named Shen Ning Zhu.

Things seem to be getting more and more interesting, so why not try to stay a little longer this time?

……

The Crown Prince's residence covers a vast area, spanning over a thousand acres. The steward first led Shen Ningzhu and her servant towards the main courtyard.

As we walked, he explained the layout of the mansion.

"The main courtyard is where His Highness resides. Next to the main courtyard are Qingheju and Meixiangyuan. His Highness has instructed that the young lady may live in Meixiangyuan from now on."

Shen Ningzhu nodded.

Soon, they arrived at the entrance of Plum Blossom Garden. Shen Ningzhu looked up at the gilded plaque with the three large characters "Plum Blossom Garden" written on it in a flamboyant style.

The butler said with a smile:

"The inscription on this plaque was personally written by His Highness. I hope you like it, Miss. Please settle in for today. If you are interested later, a maid can show you around the mansion."

Shen Ningzhu felt a sense of admiration; the calligraphy was truly masterful, it seemed that the prince was quite capable after all.

Just as they were about to enter the courtyard, they saw a master and servant pair from Qingheju come out from the side.

It was Princess Qingyi and her personal maid.

How did they get here? Shen Ningzhu looked behind the two of them, some guesses flashing through her mind.

Soon, the other party confirmed her idea.

"Oh, isn't this...who was it again? Sigh, look at my memory, it's right on the tip of my tongue, how come I just can't remember?"

The maidservant beside her quickly chimed in.

"She's not an important person anyway. What's the point of remembering her, given her status as a princess?"

Shen Ningzhu ignored the back-and-forth between the master and servant, and turned to look at the steward. The steward's forehead began to sweat, and he stepped forward and bowed to Princess Qingyi.

"See the Princess."

"Uncle Zhang, there's no need for such formalities, please get up."

"Thank you, Princess."

After straightening up, Butler Zhang pursed his lips.

"Your Highness, you may not know this, but Miss Shen was personally invited to the residence by His Highness the Crown Prince. It seems that time has been short and her status has not yet been determined. From now on, she will live in Plum Blossom Garden."

Jiang Qingyi covered her lips and pretended to exclaim in surprise.

Butler: "What's wrong, Princess?"

Jiang Qingyi said somewhat awkwardly, "I originally came out specifically to discuss this with Uncle Zhang. Princess Qing and Ju Ben aren't used to living here, and I wanted to ask you to let them change courtyards, but I didn't expect..."

A bad feeling welled up in Zhang Bo's heart. "Your Highness is too kind. You are His Highness's honored guest. It is only right that the manor should fulfill any request you may have."

Jiang Qingyi's eyes lit up. "Really? But I love this courtyard."

Jiang Qingyi pointed.

Everyone followed her gaze and saw that it was Plum Blossom Garden. Shen Ningzhu's lips twitched.

Ha ha.

On his very first day in the mansion, he was given a hard time.

"Butler, why are they staying at the Crown Prince's residence?"

Before the steward could reply, Jiang Qingyi's maidservant spoke arrogantly:

"His Highness the Crown Prince and my Princess are childhood sweethearts, having grown up together since they were little, so their bond is naturally very deep. The Princess's original residence has been in disrepair for many years and is not suitable for living at the moment."

"His Highness the Crown Prince was worried about our Princess, so he personally sent people to bring her to the Crown Prince's residence."

Shen Ningzhu gave a cold smile.

"Did I ask you a question?"

Maid:......

Shen Ningzhu continued to mock, "The princess is so lenient with her maids. They dare to interrupt when their mistress asks questions."

Jiang Qingyi's brows furrowed, and she stared intently at Shen Ningzhu. After a long while, she forced a stiff smile, "My maidservant is naturally well-mannered, but it's just that Miss Shen's status..."

This is practically saying that Shen Ningzhu, a village girl, is hardly a master.

The maid who was speaking even let out an exaggerated, suppressed laugh.

The kite beside her secretly tugged at Shen Ningzhu's sleeve and whispered a word of advice.

“Miss, why don’t we just forget about it? It’s our first day in the manor, so let’s just bear with it for now. It’s better to avoid trouble and prevent displeasing His Highness.”

Shen Ningzhu snatched the sleeve from her hand.

She finally understood why that scoundrel was in such a hurry to bring her into the manor; it turned out he was covering for Princess Qingyi.

In order to preserve Princess Qingyi's reputation, he brought Shen Ningzhu into the mansion without any official status or recognition, showing no consideration for her whatsoever.

She actually thought this scumbag was genuinely trying to take responsibility.

"Endure? Why should I endure?"

A man who makes her suffer on her very first day in the manor will only bring her countless more grievances in the future. If she endures it on the first day, she will eventually have countless unbearable moments to endure in the future.

“Uncle Steward, since the manor has not prepared a place for me, I will have to go back first. Paper Kite, Paper Intent, let’s go back to the Shen manor.”

"Yes."

Having just received a glare from Shen Ningzhu, Zhiyuan dared not act on her own again; she could only listen to whatever Shen Ningzhu said.

The butler panicked, "Miss, this..."

Jiang Qingyi and the maid were also surprised by Shen Ningzhu's assertiveness and were momentarily at a loss.

Jiang Qingyi: "Miss Shen, you're being too petty. It's just a courtyard; why make such a scene?"

Shen Ningzhu wouldn't tolerate such a despicable person.

He turned around. He looked at her with a forced smile, but his eyes were devoid of any warmth.

“I don’t understand what you mean, Princess. If it’s just a courtyard, why do you insist on taking it from me? You heard it yourself, it was already allocated to me long ago.”

The maidservant ran out again, jumping up and down.

"What do you mean 'steal'? My princess is of such high status that it's a blessing for you and this courtyard to take a liking to it. Don't be so ungrateful."

"It's one thing for a lowly village girl to not bow and greet the princess, but my princess is kind and will not pursue the matter because of your ignorance. And yet you dare to talk back to the princess?"

The little maid held her head high, her eyes wide and round, looking like she was about to devour someone.

Shen Ningzhu curled her lips into a cold smile.

"Finished?"

other side???

"Now that you've finished talking, it's my turn."