The system forced me to blow up the female lead's fishpond.

"how?"

On a cold, moonlit night, a young man stood on the rooftop. His voice was like jade striking ice, like the cry of a phoenix or the call of a crane, but his tone was devoid of any warmth.

The Wind Chieftain clutched his toe, which had been struck by the woman's hammer, his voice hoarse and filled with resentment, "Tonight, the Second Prince didn't bring any guards. Instinct succeeded, but alas..."

At this point, Chief Feng was filled with regret, "Unfortunately, a woman came and saved the Second Prince."

"A woman?" The boy's voice was clearly displeased.

"That woman is truly cunning!" Chief Feng trembled and suddenly knelt down. "Your Highness, please forgive me! Once I find that woman, I will tear her to pieces!"

After a long silence, he finally asked, "What is that woman's name?"

The leader of the Wind Clan pondered for a moment, then said, "She said her name was something like Hao Meimei..."

Chu Tu fell into deep thought. How come this name is exactly the same as the big black pig in his mansion?

"Brother Tu~"

The sweet call instantly brought Chu Tu back to his senses. He lowered his eyes to look at the charming girl under the eaves, his eyes softening, and waved to the leader of the wind.

"That's all, go down."

The Wind Leader clasped his hands in greeting, lightly touched the ground with his toes, and disappeared into the moonlight in a few leaps.

The next day.

Harboring dreams of redemption, Shen Zhizhi barged into Chu Chouchi's courtyard early in the morning.

"Your Highness! Your Highness!"

The shout was so loud that it startled Chu Chouchi, who was holding the brush, causing the ink to drip down and slowly spread on the Xuan paper.

Just as the wooden door was about to be pushed open, a sharp arrow, gleaming with a cold light, shot out from outside the window, as swift as lightning.

"..."

Chu Chou's red eyes suddenly narrowed. Without thinking, he reached out and grabbed the inkstone on the wooden table, throwing it towards the arrow.

The moment the wooden door was fully opened, the inkstone collided with the arrow, and both fell to the ground at the same time!

As soon as Shen Zhizhi pushed open the door, she felt something flash past her eyes, followed by the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground, which startled her so much that she hurriedly took a step back.

"Shen Zhizhi! Are you looking for death?!" Chu Chouchi stood up, his cold gaze fixed on her.

"?"

Shen Zhizhi was stunned by the inexplicable roar.

She glanced in astonishment at the broken inkstone and arrows on the ground, and belatedly remembered the original text's description of Chu Chou Chi's mansion.

Chu Chouchi's courtyard was guarded by secret guards, and anyone who broke into his study without his permission was executed.

She gasped, her gaze returning to the shattered inkstone.

So, if he hadn't come to her rescue, she would have almost died from an arrow wound.

The guards lying in the shadows broke out in a cold sweat, each gripping their bows and arrows tightly, their eyes filled with disbelief.

Isn't the master's favorite the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister's family? This illegitimate daughter seems to have a very low profile.

But since when did a mere concubine's daughter become someone the master cared about so much that he went so far as to smash the inkstone given to him by the legitimate daughter of the Shen family to save her?

"..."

Seeing the person in front of him biting his lip and remaining silent, Chu Chouchi couldn't help but furrow his brows.

The air around him seemed to freeze. He stared at her pale face, his anger dissipating and replaced by a hint of guilt.

Did he shout too loudly and scare her?

"Second Prince, did you save me?"

Before he could explain, a question arose in his ear.

Chu Chouchi looked up in surprise and met her surprised face.

He intended to nod and say "yes," but the words caught in his throat and he changed his mind.

"No, Your Highness simply dislikes people entering without knocking."

As soon as he finished speaking, he regretted it. Why did he have to explain? Why was he so eager to deny his true feelings?

“But Your Highness, your ears are red.” Shen Zhizhi smiled, her eyes crinkling.

She increasingly realized that Chu Chouchi, setting aside his perverted behavior of imprisoning people, was actually quite adorable.

The guards hidden in the shadows glanced at their master's ears and saw that they were indeed flushed.

Hmm? She seems to have become even more popular after Miss Shen said that.

"..." Chu Chouchi gritted his teeth in hatred, pointing to the door: "Get out and knock before you come in!"

"Hey! Okay!"

Shen Zhizhi turned and left, slowly closing the door behind her. Then she knocked twice lightly and sang affectionately in a low voice:

"Your Highness, open the door, Zhizhi is back~"

"Pfft, cough, cough!"

Chu Chouchi hadn't even swallowed a sip of tea when he was choked by her startling words.

A blush suddenly swept across her cheeks, and with a slightly embarrassed expression, she lifted the stained rice paper and coughed several times.

This woman—!

Was she like this before?

After calming down, she raised her eyes seriously and said in a neutral tone, "Come in."

Shen Zhizhi was secretly delighted. After pushing open the door, she went straight to Chu Chouchi with a clear goal in mind.

She placed her hands on the desk, leaned slightly forward, and stared intently at him with her almond-shaped eyes: "Second Prince, how about I take you shopping?"

[Host, is this the salvation method you've been thinking of?]

Ya Dan was stunned.

The host was all very confident early in the morning, and it thought it had come up with some brilliant idea, but it turned out to be just going shopping.

[Shen Zhizhi: What do you know? Last night I racked my brains for a long time before I remembered some things that the original text glossed over.]

Shen Zhizhi really wanted to roll her eyes at it.

Shen Zhizhi: [Shen Qinshou once bought some inconspicuous trinkets on the street and gave them to Chu Chouchi, but the poor child lacked maternal love from a young age, and no one would give him such worthless things.]

Ya Dan let out a soft "Ah," as if suddenly realizing something.

So, he found those little trinkets fascinating and touching, believing Shen Qinshou to be the only person in the world who treated him differently?

Shen Zhizhi: [Yes, that's right.]

Moreover, because of this small favor, Chu Chouchi not only gave his heart away, but also opened the storeroom again and sent many treasures to Shen Qinshou.

When she saw this plot, she wanted nothing more than to dig out Chu Chouchi's head and see what kind of monster was inside.

Receiving a priceless treasure doesn't necessarily move him, but receiving some junk makes him incredibly touched? Is this the kind of intelligence a prince vying for the throne should have?

"..." Looking at her small face so close to his, Chu Chouchi took a step back without making a sound, trying to appear calm.

"I never go to bustling city centers."

Shen Zhizhi had already anticipated this answer. Her eyes crinkled with laughter as she boldly moved closer, grabbing his sleeve and shaking it.

"Your Highness, please, please go, please go! It's on me!"

As the girl's face drew closer and closer, Chu Chouchi was in a state of panic and, in desperation, shouted.

"Be bold!"

Seeing the anger in his eyes, Shen Zhizhi's heart skipped a beat.

Oh no! It seems I've gone a bit too far!

"Second Prince! I was wrong!"

She suppressed her unease, let go of his hand, and instinctively stepped back, her knees buckling uncontrollably as she knelt on the ground.

Yesterday's mission went too smoothly, which almost made her forget that Chu Chouchi also had his bottom line.

Moreover, he still has feelings for Shen Qinshou, so he would definitely be disgusted by her getting close.

Shen Zhizhi felt inexplicably panicked, while the shadow guards in the shadows were poised to strike, drawing their bows and waiting for Chu Chouchi's order to kill her.