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

Shen Zhizhi awoke leisurely in the pavilion, slowly raising her hand to shield her eyes from the dazzling sunlight, her expression momentarily dazed and confused.

Once she understood her surroundings, she realized that Zhang Jiali had disappeared without a trace, and she was covered by his plain-colored cloak, which felt cool to the touch.

She blinked, then murmured involuntarily, "Did they go to the morning court?"

Before he could continue thinking, a cold sneer came from behind him, "What? After watching the sunrise, do you want to watch the sunset with him? I think you might as well just stay in this pavilion."

Upon hearing this sound, Shen Zhizhi was startled and quickly turned around.

Then he saw Chu Tu standing a few steps away with a gloomy expression, his peach blossom eyes slightly upturned, subtly containing displeasure.

He had originally planned to go to the morning court to watch his two imperial brothers' open and covert struggles in the court, since he had nothing to do these days, in order to relieve the boredom and dullness of the past few days.

Unexpectedly, upon arriving at this place, I saw her leaning against the wall, fast asleep.

The plain-colored cloak he wore was crudely made, judging from its material alone.

It is conceivable that this cloak does not belong to the Second Prince. If so, then it must have been made by Zhang Jiali.

Recalling that they had probably played chess in this pavilion until dawn last night, Chu Tu felt an overwhelming sense of bitterness, as if a huge boulder was lodged in his heart, causing him unbearable distress and pain.

But then he thought, what right did he have to feel this nameless rage?

He didn't even have the courage to confess his love to her, so how could he question her?

Shen Zhizhi's voice choked at his words, and she laughed awkwardly, explaining, "Your Highness has misunderstood. Yesterday, Taiping Palace was suddenly attacked by assassins, and the First Prince had no choice but to kill in order to protect himself."

After this incident, the Crown Prince was filled with remorse and unease. Considering our past acquaintance and concerned for his inner turmoil, I decided to stay with him for the night to offer comfort; I had no other intention.

"An assassin?" Chu Tu frowned unconsciously, his eyes slightly closed.

Now, within this palace, who doesn't know that his eldest brother holds the prestigious title of Prince and enjoys the deep favor and affection of their father, the Emperor?

They dared to send assassins to carry out the assassination right under the emperor's nose, and to this day, not a single piece of news has leaked out, nor has any sign of trouble been shown.

Thinking of this, Chu Tu raised an eyebrow slightly, already understanding the situation.

Judging from this, it is likely that these assassins were secretly instigated and directed by Empress Ming.

Empress Ming's actions were nothing more than child's play in the eyes of the Emperor, and were not worth worrying about.

Otherwise, if any other force were to rashly attempt to assassinate his elder brother, he would likely face the annihilation of his entire family and the extermination of his entire clan before dawn.

Thinking this, Chu Tu raised his eyebrows slightly and looked at her again. "Heh, he only killed a few assassins. Does he really need your comfort? Does he really think he's some three-year-old child who can't stand bloodshed and needs to be coaxed?"

"..."

Shen Zhizhi was speechless and secretly rolled her eyes.

See? That's the difference between a hero and a savior. He has great love in his heart, and he will feel guilty for a long time if his hands are stained with blood.

Even she, a person from the 21st century, prided herself on being unable to achieve such universal love.

"Third Prince, last night was truly terrifying." Mentioning the events of the previous night, Shen Zhizhi unconsciously pulled her cloak around her waist, shivering with fear.

"You didn't see it. The whole hall was covered in blood. The Crown Prince was standing in the hall, looking extremely panicked and helpless. He had no choice but to do this to protect himself. You can imagine the torment he was going through. Seeing him like this, I really couldn't bear to abandon him. I only hope to stay with him for a while."

Chu Tu listened to her words, his disdain evident on his lips.

Ha, what an idiot.

She barged into Taiping Palace in the middle of the night. At that time, Zhang Jiali was completely unprepared and had not yet had time to tidy up the chaotic mess, so he naturally appeared flustered and helpless.

His usual kind image almost collapsed completely in front of her; at that moment, he was probably on the verge of losing his composure.

Even though he hadn't witnessed the events of last night, he could deduce that the scene inside the palace must have been incredibly tragic, enough to cause someone as composed as Zhang Jiali to fall into extreme panic.

But she mistakenly believed that he felt guilty and afraid because of his killing? Why did she have such deep trust in him?

Chu Tu remained silent for a long while, then strode closer, the sable fur on his shoulder rustling as it brushed against Chu Tu's chin. "In the palace, people's hearts are hard to fathom, and appearances are often deceptive. No one dares to trust others casually. You haven't known him for long, so why do you trust him so much?"

Shen Zhizhi was slightly taken aback, and for a moment she didn't know how to answer his question. She couldn't very well say that the world was a book and that their character settings were all written by the author, could she?

After a moment of silence, she could only wave her hand dismissively, "There's no reason, you just believe it if you want to."

Chu Tu: ? ? ?

"you--"

Chu Tu was about to give a lecture.

Shen Zhizhi, quick-witted and agile, hurriedly stepped forward and touched her belly, her tone plaintive, "Like now, this humble woman very, very, very much wants to have breakfast with His Highness the Third Prince. There is no reason whatsoever. I wonder if His Highness the Third Prince would do me the honor of going to the Imperial Kitchen with me?"

Chu Tu was taken aback by her sudden action, and the words that were about to come out were abruptly cut off, his ears turning blush.

I really, really, really want to have breakfast with him...?

Before his secret joy could even take hold, he abruptly suppressed the smile on his lips and gave her a resentful look.

Hmph, she's quite good at changing the subject.

Despite these inner grumblings, she unconsciously headed towards the imperial kitchen, trying to maintain her composure while speaking impatiently.

"Consider yourself lucky. I haven't had breakfast yet today, so let's go to the imperial kitchen together."

Upon hearing this, the leader of the Wind Clan, who had frequented brothels for many years, fell into despair and almost bit the white handkerchief in his arms again.

The eldest prince's methods in courting Miss Shen were designed to evoke pity in her, knowing that Miss Shen was soft-hearted.

Judging from the Second Prince's actions, his method of pursuing Miss Shen was straightforward and direct, which allowed him to firmly grasp her.

As for his own Third Prince, he only knew to secretly feel jealous, and when he should have been caring for Miss Shen, he was extremely stubborn, as if he was afraid that Miss Shen's estrangement was not swift enough.

Clearly, they hadn't treated Miss Shen this way before. Where did things go wrong? It's truly perplexing.

"Yes, yes, Your Highness, thank you for gracing me with your presence."

Shen Zhizhi followed behind Chu Tu, secretly sticking out her tongue, secretly rejoicing that this trick had worked.

……

The imperial kitchen was already bustling with activity, the aroma of various delicacies filling the air.

Shen Zhizhi's eyes lit up, instantly drawn to the dazzling array of food, completely forgetting about Chu Tu.