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

"Brother Tu, I only wanted my sister to return to the manor as soon as possible, but she... she..."

Shen Qinshou stared at Chu Tu with tears streaming down her face, sobbing as she recounted her grievances and helplessness.

Shen Zhizhi stood behind her, watching Shen Qinshou's self-directed and self-acted performance, and sneered.

This little green tea bitch is quite good at pretending, but unfortunately her wishful thinking backfired.

If Chu Tu hadn't arrived just now and witnessed the whole scene, he probably would have thought she had bullied Shen Qinshou terribly.

Chu Tu stared at the tearful woman in front of him, his thoughts seemingly forming a net that enveloped him completely.

After a moment of silence, a slightly hoarse voice finally came out of his throat, "Yesterday, Shen Zhizhi was indeed in my residence."

"..." Shen Qinshou's hand, which was wiping away tears, froze, and she stood there, not daring to look up.

Is the Third Prince defending Shen Zhizhi?

In the past, no matter what she said, as long as she shed tears, whether it was her fault or someone else's, the Third Prince would always stand up for her. Why, why is it different this time?

Moreover, in the past, whenever the Third Prince encountered someone bullying her, she would poison those people. Although it was not fatal, it was enough to make them wish they were dead or fall seriously ill.

But these past few days, Shen Zhizhi has remained completely unharmed. Could it be that even the Third Prince has been bewitched by this vile woman?!

Shen Qinshou lowered her head, gritted her teeth, and a look of jealousy and hatred flashed across her eyes. But when no one noticed, she quickly regained her aggrieved expression.

She looked up, her eyes filled with tears, a sight that evoked pity in me. "Brother Tu, Ah Shou, Ah Shou didn't mean anything by it, I'm just afraid that my sister's reputation will be damaged."

She lowered her voice, speaking softly and gently, her words filled with utter grievance, as if she were about to collapse weakly at any moment.

After all, she was the apple of his eye, and seeing her like this now, Chu Tu felt a pang of reluctance in his heart. But her words today had truly hurt him deeply.

Those words he had just heard, which had nothing to do with her, were like silver needles, piercing him and leaving him riddled with holes.

Chu Tu opened his mouth, wanting to say something comforting, but couldn't utter a single word.

After a long silence, he slowly raised his head, his eyes glazed over, a hint of disappointment in his expression. "A-Shou, you already know about the fire in my palace last night. Why didn't you offer a single word of greeting when you saw me?"

After a moment's pause, meeting Shen Qinshou's panicked gaze, he swallowed hard and said, "You still say—this has nothing to do with you."

Shen Qinshou's shoulders trembled slightly, and a sudden realization flashed through her mind.

He instantly understood and finally realized why Shen Zhizhi's attitude had changed so suddenly.

Could it be that she already knew that Brother Tu was standing in the courtyard at that time, and therefore deliberately led her to say those words?

A flash of coldness and murderous intent crossed Shen Qinshou's eyes, and her fierce gaze was fixed on Shen Zhizhi, who was standing in front of her, eating pastries and watching the show with a smug look.

That bitch! So treacherous and vicious!

Shen Qinshou shook off her worries, raised her eyes again, her misty eyes brimming with tears, her eyelashes fluttering like butterflies spreading their wings.

Her voice was damp as she spoke, "Brother Tu, it's not like that, Ah Shou was just, just..."

At this point, Shen Qinshou paused, and tears streamed down her face.

She thought the Third Prince would interrupt her as usual and offer her some comfort.

However, after crying for a long time, she noticed out of the corner of her eye that the Third Prince was still staring at her intently, as if he would not give in if she did not give an explanation today.

Shen Qinshou was somewhat annoyed by the stare. What was wrong with the Third Prince today? In the past, her tears were the most effective.

When Chu Tu saw that she couldn't give a coherent explanation, his expectant eyes instantly dimmed, and his affectionate peach blossom eyes were now covered with deep sorrow.

Shen Qinshou could no longer contain herself. She slowly raised her eyes, her gaze filled with anger and resentment. Her lips were slightly pursed, and she said in a low voice:

"The Third Prince simply no longer trusts A-Shou. If that's the case, then A-Shou should leave. From now on, the Third Prince can consider A-Shou dead..."

Before she could finish speaking, she turned and walked quickly toward the courtyard, covering her face with her hands and sobbing softly as she went.

Shen Zhizhi stared at this familiar scene, then awkwardly curled up her toes.

Sure enough, most people who feel guilty will react with this kind of anger and embarrassment as a way to escape the truth.

Chu Tu stared at the graceful figure running away, clenching his fist under his sleeve, his eyes bloodshot, suppressing the urge to chase after her.

Today's events were A-Shou's fault. Even if he dotes on her and pities her, he should still make her think things through.

"What brings Your Highness to my Zhiyun Pavilion today?" Seeing that the female lead had already left and the tormenting scene could no longer continue, Shen Zhizhi lazily yawned and looked at Chu Tu.

Chu Tu withdrew his gaze, concealing the melancholy in his eyes, and waved without saying a word.

Seeing Shen Qinshou leave in anger, Chief Feng, who was grinning broadly, came skipping and hopping like a child, carrying a wooden bucket.

“Miss Shen, the palace caught fire yesterday. Thanks to you for risking your life to enter the inferno, this is a small token of gratitude specially chosen by His Highness the Third Prince. Please accept it.”

As he spoke, he solemnly presented the wooden bucket in his hand, as if he were holding some important treasure.

Shen Zhizhi stared at the wooden bucket in his hand, and couldn't help but think to herself, "What kind of kind family would use a wooden bucket to carry a thank-you gift? Isn't that a bit too careless?"

After thinking for a moment, she looked up and smiled, "Your Highness, there's no need to be so polite. It's just a small favor."

Chief Feng, carrying a wooden bucket, looked around and asked, "Miss Shen, where should I put this gift?"

"Just put it anywhere," Shen Zhizhi said, pointing to a random spot.

As the Wind Chieftain passed by carrying a wooden bucket, she glanced perfunctorily at its contents, then her eyes widened in disbelief, and she uttered a sound of surprise:

"Wait! Wait a minute!"

The startled shout made the Wind Chief pause in his tracks, almost dropping his grip.

He turned around with a look of surprise in his eyes, and asked suspiciously, "What's wrong, Miss Shen?"

Shen Zhizhi was so shocked that her jaw almost dropped!

The wooden bucket was filled with gold ingots—a whole bucket full of them! With this bucket of gold, she could live a life of luxury in ancient times, even without returning to modern society.

Such a valuable item, and they just carried it out in a broken wooden bucket?!

Shen Zhizhi's eyes gleamed with gold as she stroked the gold ingots in the bucket, her mouth practically watering.

She turned to look at Chu Tu in disbelief, "Third...Third Prince, is all this gold really a gift for me?"

Chu Tu raised an eyebrow, his eyes twitching slightly. "I originally planned to send you some fabric, but I didn't know what kind of patterns you liked, so I simply took a bucket of gold from the storeroom. That way, you can choose the fabric you like yourself."

At this moment, Shen Zhizhi almost wanted to kneel down and shout: "Chu Tu, you are my god!"