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

Oh no, was she being that obvious?

I almost forgot, Pei Yun Chu seems to be a carefree playboy, giving people a rough and careless impression.

In reality, he is incredibly meticulous and extremely shrewd; the slightest carelessness could reveal his intentions. No, this cannot be exposed. If he discovers even the slightest clue, all our plans will be ruined.

"Huh? How could that be? You must be mistaken. Yes, you must be."

Pei Yun Chu seemed unconvinced, "Really?"

"Replacement guaranteed."

"Alright then, I'll take pity on you this once. Ahem, um, is there anything you want to tell me about this trip?"

Pei Yunchu brought up the old topic again.

Liu Zhiyi tilted her head and thought for a moment, then bowed to her side, saying, "Take care, young master, and have a safe journey."

Pei Yun Chu: ...

Ah, he's been unnecessary to come here today.

She glared angrily at Liu Zhiyi, then turned and left without looking back.

Liu Zhiyi was stunned for a moment, then didn't take it seriously.

He casually tossed the melon seeds in his hand into the flowerbed next to him and dashed off towards Shen Ningzhu's house.

Main Courtyard Study

"Bam—"

Pei Yun Chu angrily pushed open the door and walked in, found a seat and plopped down, sulking there by herself.

Jiang Xuan Yan didn't even lift his eyelids, looking down at the folded document in his hand.

Pei Yun Chu's lips twitched slightly.

His cousin was a quiet, reserved person from a young age, always wearing a deadpan expression.

They grew up together, but he was never seen to smile. So young, yet he insisted on acting like an old relic; it was utterly boring.

With his naturally aloof, dull, and boring appearance, I really don't know which girl would be blind to fall for him.

Pei Yun Chu was so angry that she wanted to leave immediately, when Jiang Xuan Yan finally took pity on her and asked a question.

"Tell me, what happened?"

"Hey, the iron tree is blooming?" Pei Yun Chu was a little surprised, but she couldn't care less. Finally getting a response, she quickly vented all her grievances.

"Ah Yan, do you think all women are this cold-blooded, heartless, selfish, and fickle? When that brat needs something from me, she can't wait to stick to me all the time."

"He brought me food and handmade trinkets, and he wasn't even ashamed... Now that he's achieved his goal, he's ignoring me."

“I told her I was going on a long trip, and she just said ‘oh’ and that was it.”

"I asked her if she had anything to say to me, and she casually said, 'Have a safe trip.'"

For a moment, Pei Yun Chu couldn't figure out what she really meant to him.

Could it be that everything that happened during this period was just exploitation? No, it's impossible. To be so reckless, even sacrificing one's own reputation, would be too high a price to pay if it were merely exploitation.

wrong.

Rumor has it that her mistress, Shen Ningzhu, was just as reckless in her pursuit of Ayan.

Upon realizing this, Pei Yun Chu's handsome face instantly turned ashen, while Jiang Xuan Yan, who was sitting upright beside the table, narrowed his phoenix eyes, lost in thought.

Pei Yun Chu spoke for a long time but no one responded, so she looked up curiously and her gaze inadvertently fell on the bright red string on Jiang Xuan Yan's wrist.

His expression froze for a moment.

"Huh? Where did you get that from?"

Jiang Xuan Yan snapped out of his daze, followed the direction of his finger, and flexed his wrist a couple of times. "What's wrong?"

Pei Yun Chu's lips twitched slightly.

"I have a lot too. That brat used them to coax and please me. How come you have them too? Did Shen Ningzhu give them to you?"

Jiang Xuan Yan's expression darkened.

Although he said that at the time, he wasn't stupid. Shen Ningzhu's look just now clearly showed that she didn't intend to give it to him.

But it certainly wasn't given to Pei Yun Chu.

The item Pei Yun Chu received was likely made by the maid named Liu Zhiyi. That maid was one of her personal maids, so it's normal that she would know how to make bracelets.

The question has come full circle: who exactly is Shen Ningzhu planning to give this bracelet to?

Is it Jiang Yanche?

A flash of rage crossed his eyes. He didn't like her, and his relationship with her was merely a matter of responsibility, but that didn't mean he, the Crown Prince, would accept being cuckolded.

Pei Yun Chu vented her anger for a long time, then noticed that Jiang Xuan Yan was squinting and lost in thought. Feeling bored, she got up and left.

Meixiangyuan

Liu Zhiyi rushed back in a flurry of activity. The two exchanged a glance and immediately understood each other's thoughts.

"I'm tired and want to take a nap. You can all leave. Just leave Xiaoyi in the room."

"Yes."

After the person left, the two hugged each other excitedly and jumped up and down on the spot. It was great! They had finally gotten their chance, and their excitement was beyond words.

After a brief moment of overreaction, Shen Ningzhu gradually regained her senses. Remembering how terrifying Jiang Xuan Yan was in the dungeon, she instinctively shuddered and said with a grave expression,

"We must plan carefully this time and ensure that nothing goes wrong."

Otherwise, once caught, given Jiang Xuan Yan's ruthlessness, there will only be two possible outcomes for her and Liu Zhi Yi.

It's either death or a fate worse than death.

She wouldn't dare take the risk unless she was absolutely certain.

The two carefully reviewed all the plans and details, as well as the unexpected events that might occur along the way, and finally decided, "We can't just run away. It would be best if someone were to harm us, and then we could conveniently fake our deaths."

Liu Zhiyi's eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands excitedly.

"You're right. That way, even if we're unlucky enough to get caught, we can play the victim and get away with it."

It's not difficult to lure people into making a move. Given Shen Ningzhu's villainous supporting character, once the Crown Prince leaves, there will surely be many people who want to harm her.

"The key now is to create opportunities for the other party to 'harm me'."

Liu Zhiyi: "You mean..."

Shen Ningzhu: "Not just anyone can enter the Crown Prince's residence, nor can they just leave so easily. Xiaoyi, we need to find a way to get out of the residence."

The Crown Prince is going away on official business; that's a good excuse.

Shen Ningzhu's eyes darted around, and she whispered a few words in Liu Zhiyi's ear. Liu Zhiyi's eyes lit up, and she excitedly gave her a thumbs up.

"Sister, you are truly worthy of being enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Suddenly, I feel that if you had stayed in the Crown Prince's residence, you might not have been unable to compete with those beautiful women."

Shen Ningzhu rolled her eyes at her, annoyed.

"Who wants to eat rotten cucumbers? Stop joking around, let's go find the Prince Dog."

Liu Zhiyi chuckled to herself.

Sisters, really! With that Prince Dog's face, which is so handsome it's outrageous, even if he were a rotten cucumber, it wouldn't be so bad to just make do with him, would it?

Besides, it's not rotten yet.

The two quickly arrived at the study door. Jiang went in to report, and soon brought Shen Ningzhu inside, while Liu Zhiyi waited outside. Inside the room, Shen Ningzhu explained her purpose to the other party.

Jiang Xuan Yan paused, then finally looked up from his busy schedule. "Go to Putuo Temple to burn incense?"

"Yes, Your Highness is going out, and I am very worried. I am restless and anxious. I thought the Bodhisattva at Putuo Temple is very efficacious, so I thought I would go and pray for Your Highness's safety and well-being."