The two stubbornly trekked from the outskirts of the city back to their home late at night. Zhan Xinjia was so sleepy that she might not even know if someone stabbed her at that moment.

After drinking the ginger soup to dispel the cold, she yawned and said goodnight to Master Shen in a daze. She didn't even wash her face before going back to her room and falling asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

A night of chaotic dreams.

When she woke up again, birds were chirping outside the window and the sky was bright; it was already lunchtime.

The bright sunshine of April, with its dappled light filtering through the gaps in the green leaves, swayed and trembled, almost hurting the eyes. A gentle breeze rustled through the slender treetops, carrying the faint fragrance of crabapple blossoms. It was a time of peace and tranquility.

Jide lay in the sun on the bamboo strips where dried chili peppers and radishes were drying in the yard, idly swishing the tip of its tail. When it curled up, it looked just like a big, shiny orange chicken leg.

Having just finished lunch and was digesting his food, Zhan Xinjia lazily leaned against a pillar and sat on the railing of the porch, swinging his legs aimlessly. He had no manners and looked every bit the scoundrel.

Green leaves slowly fell beside her, carrying a touch of leisurely tranquility.

Not far away, a young man with his sleeves neatly rolled up was skillfully washing clothes.

He lifted the girl's blue skirt from the basin with his fingertips, his face flushed slightly, and he coughed a few times inexplicably and unnaturally before silently sitting up straight.

He lowered his eyes and looked down, his face exuding an air of noble integrity.

Her long, slender fingers, calloused and smooth like finely carved jade, with neatly trimmed nails and a faint pink tinge at the tips, gently and meticulously kneaded the little girl's skirt on the fabric.

The courtyard was filled with the fresh scent of soapberries.

Zhan Xinjia rested her chin on her hand, tilted her head, and looked at him with obvious satisfaction.

What color burlap sack should be used to bring such a virtuous young man home?

Or maybe we should just have some forced sex.

As the saying goes, opportunity always favors the shameless!

The thoughts in his mind grew increasingly turbulent. Inside the courtyard, the young man had already finished washing his clothes sometime earlier.

"I'm going out this afternoon. If you're bored, you can go to the study and read a book. Don't wander around."

After giving these instructions, Shen Suqing neatly hung the last piece of clothing on the clothesline, then took a dry handkerchief from the side and carefully wiped her hands clean before slowly turning around.

He looked up at the little girl lazily squinting her eyes under the eaves.

"Or do you want to come along too?"

Zhan Xinjia straightened her posture instantly, tucked her hands in as obediently as a harmless cat.

Normally, she would be willing to go to the latrine with Lord Shen just to experience the saltiness of the food, but at this moment she just exclaimed "Oh dear!" with a regretful and disappointed expression on her face.

"It's so sunny outside, I'll stay home and feed the cat. Hey, but what is Master Shen going to do?"

"My colleague's ancestral home needs renovation and asked me to redesign it."

Um? ? ?

So, what exactly is Lord Shen's official position, and what does he do?

It seems like he gets involved in all sorts of trivial matters, and besides, she's been living here for four or five days and he hasn't even been to court.

Zhan Xinjia rested her chin on her hand, still trying to figure it out, when Shen Suqing had already changed his clothes and calmly left the house.

She even heard the sound of the lock clicking shut.

Zhan Xinjia jumped off the railing in disbelief and ran to the door, shaking the door panel. Yes, it was locked from the outside, locked, locked... How afraid was Master Shen of her running away and going crazy while he was away?

Grabbing Jide from the bamboo basket and burying it in his fluffy belly, Zhan Xinjia sighed and, while brushing the cat hair off his clothes, skillfully leaped over the wall.

The little princess and the young prince of the Beijing elite circle haven't returned to the palace yet. I wonder where this pair of brilliant strategists have been staying these past few days, whether they're well-fed and clothed, and whether they've returned the straw mats...

Zhan Xinjia, with one of her few remaining consciences, worried about this, but she soon learned the answer—

This was the first time in her life she had seen a house that was even worse than the mud-brick house she had bought with a 20-year loan!

Crows circled around the roof of the two-courtyard house, cawing incessantly.

The moldy beams, hollowed out by termites, precariously support the crumbling walls, which sway in the wind, making one wonder if they could be easily pierced.

The courtyard was covered with fallen leaves, which felt crunchy underfoot. The threshold was overgrown with weeds, some taller than the grass on a ten-year-old grave. The spider web in the corner was so big that a real pig could be tied up inside; it was hard to imagine how big the spider must have been to weave it.

A chilly breeze blew, and the house, supposedly haunted by over a hundred deaths, was completely believed by Zhan Xinjia.

She clapped her hands, looking constipated.

"Oh my, isn't this Princess Caixia? She looks so tired after just a few days."

Yan Xiyue didn't feel embarrassed at all. She even puffed out her chest and said confidently, "Come in. This is all the money we have at home. It's because my brother and I left the palace without taking a single penny with us."

"No, then how have you been eating these past few days?"

Zhan Xinjia was greatly shocked, and his gaze couldn't help but fall on Yan Huishi, who was leaning against the wall in tattered beggar clothes, pretending to be deep in thought.

When Yan Hui returned, he gave a cold laugh, a smile containing three parts indifference, three parts contempt, three parts arrogance, and one part smugness. But before he could answer Zhan Xinjia's questions, she immediately knew the answer—

"Damn it—!!"

A group of seven or eight ragged beggars suddenly rushed out of the dilapidated courtyard.

Some leaned on wooden canes, some limped, all of them were sallow and thin with cloudy eyes, as if they had been repeatedly ravaged by life, their eyes devoid of any spirit.

Upon seeing the brother and sister, the beggars' eyes suddenly flashed with intense anger and sorrow.

They all craned their necks, pointed their fingers, and accused each other fiercely, their voices trembling as they made veiled accusations, each one a cry of blood.

"We told you not to come and steal our steamed buns and money anymore. You're not welcome here. You two young bastards have hands and feet, how can you be so rude? Damn it, you have no shame!!"

Yan Xiyue disagreed.

"I've already told you my brother is the Crown Prince of the capital who secretly escaped from the palace. Give us fifty copper coins to help him achieve his great ambitions, and when we return to the palace, I'll have my father appoint you as a Grand General..."

"I'm just old, not brain-damaged. What grand undertaking? It's clearly just that fried chicken shop in the south of the city having a discount today!"

"Hmph, I'm the world's sweetest and softest little princess, how could I possibly lie to you? My brother and I just got tired of the palace intrigue and wanted to try our luck outside. What do you know!"

After saying that, Yan Xiyue put her hands on her hips and gave Yan Huishi a proud look.

"Right, brother!"

When Yan Huishi returned, he let out a cold sneer and hid himself in the shadow of the crumbling wall. He raised his chin and pulled a broken wine flask from one of his pockets, taking a wild gulp.

He leaned against the wall in an extremely pretentious pose, like a knight-errant who had drunk fake alcohol, wandering around singing...

"I should roam the world freely..."

Yan Xiyue laughed loudly, stepped forward, snatched the wine pot from Yan Huishi's hand, and took a hearty gulp.

"How wonderful!"

Greetings: ...

Is it too late for your mom to go home and feed the cat and pretend nothing happened?

But it was clearly too late.

Unable to bear it any longer, the group of beggars brandished their dog-beating sticks and charged forward.

Although these two idiots are indeed not human, it seems that after so many years of a terrible friendship, Zhan Xinjia cannot let the crown prince and the destined heroine be beaten to death here.

"Sweep through the enemy ranks!"

Zhan Xinjia suddenly shouted and squatted down, delivering a sweeping leg kick that caught everyone off guard.

Tornado destroys beggar's den!

Yan Xiyue and Yan Huishi skillfully and confidently jumped to dodge, while the beggars, not expecting Zhan Xinjia's sudden move, were all tripped up and fell, clutching their legs and groaning in pain.

Yan Xiyue was beaming with pride.

"Now you know how powerful our exhilarating combination attack is!"

When Yan Hui returned, he brushed the dust off his shoulder and the wall, maintaining his cool and aloof chivalrous persona.

A cold smile slowly crept onto his lips, his eyes sharp as swords, and his words as cold as ice.

"Don't underestimate the friendship and bond between us."

Greetings: ...

My god, someone beat these two good-for-nothings to death! She's definitely not stopping them this time!!

Words come true, and indeed, someone came.

Two petrified statues, disheveled by the wind, stood stiffly at the entrance, their forms frozen, and it was unclear how long they had been standing there watching.