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

He glanced around and, seeing that no one was around, slowly knocked on the wooden door.

"Thump, thump-thump—"

One long and two short, a total of three sets, at which point the door was opened from the inside.

A young man poked his head out, and the two looked around again. Seeing that no one was following them, they quickly entered the house.

They thought they had done it very discreetly.

Little did they know that in a corner of the pavilion in the neighboring courtyard, a master and servant had witnessed their every move.

The man dressed as a guard frowned.

"Master, the family living next door seems a bit strange. Should I go and investigate their background?"

The man in white reclined lazily in a deck chair, a faint smile playing on his handsome face. A closer look revealed a tender, lingering affection hidden beneath his deep-set eyes. (Image of the mysterious white-clad gentleman) "No need," he said, "I know that woman."

Guard: ? ? ?

Judging from his expression, the usually taciturn man in white offered a rare explanation.

"That boy in white was actually a woman."

The man's gaze turned distant as he recalled her clean-cut face, unadorned yet undeniably stunning, standing calmly before him in a light green dress.

His back was ramrod straight.

Her slender fingers danced across the strings, and when the piece ended, it amazed everyone present, leaving him with an unforgettable impression that would last a lifetime.

It's a pity that such a wonderful person will never have anything to do with someone like him in this lifetime.

The man lowered his head to hide the disappointment in his eyes, a bitter smile playing on his lips.

The guard frowned even more. If she was a woman, why did she dress as a man? Why was she hiding her face and acting so furtively? Did she really have no secrets to hide?

……

As soon as Liu Zhiyi entered the room, she picked up the teapot on the table, poured a full cup of tea, gulped it down, and then poured two more cups to finish.

Chen Aniu asked with concern,

"Slow down, young lady, be careful not to choke."

Chen Aniu was a young man whom Liu Zhiyi had her eye on when she bought people. He was said to have fled from famine in the north.

The family of more than ten people had all died by the time they reached the capital. He himself was on the verge of death. In order to survive, he sold himself into a brokerage firm.

He was lucky enough to survive only because he received a bowl of rice porridge.

Liu Zhiyi and Shen Ningzhu needed a fake identity to escape, and Chen Aniu happened to have two older sisters, who were also teenagers, but were too weak and had already died of illness on the way.

So she secretly bought him out on her own and made a deal with him.

Chen Aniu agreed without saying a word.

So Liu Zhiyi secretly bought the house and registered Chen Aniu and his two older sisters' household registrations there.

To the outside world, the house belonged to Chen Aniu, and she and Shen Ningzhu would later become his sisters, with the three of them living together.

Liu Zhiyi plopped down in a chair, panting heavily. "Don't even mention it, the sun is so strong right now, and I was rushing over here, I'm almost exhausted."

"By the way, have you stocked up all the medicinal herbs and food I asked you to prepare? Also, stock up on some cloth, firewood, charcoal, and the like."

"In short, stock up on all the necessities. But remember to buy them separately from different places, and don't buy too much at once."

Chen Aniu grinned and patted his chest vigorously, saying, "Don't worry, girl, you told me all this before, and I remember it all."

Liu Zhiyi breathed a sigh of relief.

Great! It seems everything is ready except for the final push.

"Young lady, when will you be able to move in?"

"It'll be over soon. In the meantime, just live your normal life and make sure the neighbors don't notice anything unusual. Alright, I'm short on time. Give me the contraceptive pills you prepared, and I should head back now."

This contraceptive medicine was prescribed by her personally, and she asked Chen Aniu to buy the herbs, so that it would cause the least harm to women.

The other party quickly brought over a bunch of medicine packets.

Liu Zhiyi took it and quickly left the courtyard. She still carefully glanced around, and seeing that no one was paying attention to her, she hurriedly left.

When Liu Zhiyi returned to the gate of the Crown Prince's residence, she asked the guards at the gate and learned that Shen Ningzhu and the others had not yet returned.

Just as I was about to walk in, I heard a familiar voice behind me.

"Oh, isn't this my dear sister's personal maid? Why didn't I bring you along to serve her today?"

Liu Zhiyi frowned and turned around.

Seeing Shen Ningxue standing not far away with Princess Qingyi, followed by several maids and servants, all carrying large and small bags, it seemed they had just returned from shopping.

Liu Zhiyi paused for a moment, then took the initiative to curtsy.

"This servant greets the Princess."

Shen Ningxue slowly stepped forward and slapped Liu Zhiyi across the cheek, but Liu Zhiyi quickly grabbed her wrist.

"What an arrogant and lowly servant! Just like your mistress, you have no manners. You didn't even bow to me when you saw me. Who gave you the audacity?"

Liu Zhiyi looked at her coldly.

"You lowly servant, what are you looking at? If you dare look at me like that again, believe me, I'll have your eyes gouged out!"

Liu Zhiyi smiled and, with all her might, slapped Shen Ningxue hard across the face.

"You think you can hit me? Who do you think you are?"

She once fought with dogs for food, and for a single steamed bun, she could go toe-to-toe with more than a dozen children in the orphanage who were several years older than her. She survived thanks to her fearless and ruthless spirit.

He now has a black belt in Taekwondo and has received guidance from Pei Yunchu, so he is skilled in martial arts.

Who is Shen Ningxue? With one slap, she was knocked to the ground, clutching her cheek tightly, staring at Liu Zhiyi in disbelief.

"You lowly servant, how dare you..."

"You dare hit me? What, you think you're so tough you can't be hit?"

"It's true what they say, when the cat's away, the mice will play."

"It is true that I am a servant, but I am also a servant of the Crown Prince's residence. Even if I do something wrong, His Highness the Crown Prince will send someone to discipline me, and if anyone is to punish me, it will be His Highness the Crown Prince."

"You, a mere daughter of a high-ranking official, dare to overstep your bounds and discipline the people of the Crown Prince's household on behalf of His Highness the Crown Prince?"

Liu Zhiyi crossed her arms and looked down at Shen Ningxue with a cool gaze.

With tears welling in her eyes, Shen Ningxue glared at Liu Zhiyi with venom, then turned and crawled to Jiang Qingyi, kowtowing three times before crying and complaining.

"Princess, you must stand up for Ningxue!"

“A mere maid dares to slap the daughter of a court official. Someone must have instructed her to do so. Otherwise, even if she had a hundred lives, she wouldn’t dare. I beg Your Highness to see the truth and do justice for my daughter.”

Jiang Qingyi nodded in agreement.

“This little servant girl certainly needs to be disciplined.”

"If I, the princess, were to let you, this arrogant maid, get away with it today, people would surely criticize Ah Yan for her incompetence in managing her subordinates. And if this were to reach the ears of some censor, wouldn't they impeach Ah Yan?"

"Guards, drag her away and give her thirty lashes."

Liu Zhiyi took a step back, her expression a half-smile.

"Princess, please reconsider."

Jiang Qingyi smiled and slowly walked up to Liu Zhiyi. She leaned close to her ear and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "Today, no one can save you."