Liu Xiangning looked astonished, her eyes filled with confusion.

Shen Mianmian didn't find it strange at all—she was a modern person, and secret professions like assassins and bodyguards had been over-dramatized in TV dramas and novels, but in ancient times, they were still little-known secret professions.

Apart from wealthy families and some people who frequently listened to storytelling, ordinary people, especially women, had no idea what a death warrior was.

Shen Mianmian explained in a low voice, "Death warriors are specially trained to carry out missions that send people to their deaths, such as killing or rescuing others. These people are different from guards; they go on missions with the determination to die."

"..." Liu Xiangning.

Mentioning Guan Shui's background, Madam Ding also felt uncomfortable and said softly, "Yes, one general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand. There are many things that cannot be thought about in detail. Guan Shui coming to our Marquis's mansion can be considered an arrangement of fate."

Previously, the Marquis was in poor health and had a bad temper, and was very harsh on the heir apparent. As his mother, I felt depressed after reading this, and I couldn't persuade the Marquis. I knew that if things continued like this, I probably wouldn't live for many more years, but the heir apparent was still young, and I couldn't bear to leave him.

So I could only take time out to relax and clear my head, to temporarily put aside my worries. Unexpectedly, I ran into Princess Ryan. Princess Ryan saw that I also liked to have fun, so she often looked for me. I was too embarrassed to tell the princess that I was out to relax and prolong my life.

Later, after the heir apparent failed the martial arts examination, the Marquis severely injured him. I was also in poor health. When the princess found out, she was furious and went directly to the assassin camp. She selected a young assassin whose age, appearance, and temperament were similar to the heir apparent and sent him to the heir apparent's side.

He specifically instructed that if the Marquis dared to make another move, the bodyguards would be responsible for protecting the heir; if they failed, they would die at the Marquis's hands, sending the Marquis to prison.

"..." Shen Mianmian was shocked - she had been wondering why, as an attendant, she didn't hire secret guards but instead hired assassins. It turns out that this is how it is. No wonder Princess Ruian is capable of doing such things.

Liu Xiangning was also stunned. She thought that Guan Shui must come from a privileged background to be able to follow the prince, and that his parents must be either stewards in the princess's residence or the children of guards. But she never expected this...

Moreover, Princess Rui'an sent Guan Shui here to send him to his death.

Are these... assassins?

Why would a living, breathing young man, a highly skilled martial artist, have to go and die? She couldn't understand...

*Snap*

Chen Mianmian was startled and turned to look at her shoulder. She saw a drop of water on her shoulder, and before she could figure it out, another drop fell with a plop.

Only then did he realize that it was Liu Xiangning standing diagonally behind him, her face filled with confusion and tears streaming down her cheeks.

Looking up at Liu Xiangning's slightly pale face, Chen Mianmian couldn't help but recall a line of poetry: "We are both wanderers in this world, why should we need to have known each other before?"

Isn't that exactly what Xiang Ning and Guan Shui are talking about?

Xiang Ning was sold into slavery at a young age, becoming homeless and wandering between brothels and pleasure houses. Her self-esteem was crushed, and she was forced to learn those despicable ways of serving men. She was a living, breathing person, but she was treated like an object, manipulated and discarded at will.

Guan Shui was an orphan from a young age and was trained by the Death Squad. He was put to the test of life and death and taught how to kill. Although he was still alive, his fate was sealed.

Liu Xiangning noticed that her master was watching her, so she quickly took out her handkerchief, wiped away her tears, and tried to calm herself down.

On the other side, when Guanshui was mentioned, Ding also sighed and said a few more words.

"That boy is loyal and seems easygoing, but he is not easygoing at all. Since he came to the manor, I have known about his situation and told all the stewards and servants to treat him well."

But no matter how much the people in charge tried to get close to Guan Shui, he never formed deep friendships with anyone, and aside from essential business conversations, he almost never exchanged pleasantries.

As Chen Mianmian listened and recalled, she realized that it really seemed to be true!

Since she transmigrated into the book, she has been able to chat with not only her personal maid Hanrong, but also the second-class maids and errand girls in Mingyue Courtyard whenever she had free time.

When it came to watching the water, not a single word of nonsense was ever spoken.

Definitely an NPC!

Suddenly, Chen Mianmian had a bold idea: "Is it because Guanshui has always refused to get close to outsiders that he still remembers the task the princess assigned him?"

“That’s possible, but it’s also related to his upbringing,” Ding said. “Regarding Guan Shui, I actually asked the princess. She said that all assassins are like this: because they know they are about to die, they don’t want to be involved with the outside world. This makes them reluctant to die and hinders their mission.”

As she spoke, Madam Ding smiled and looked at Liu Xiangning, "Thanks to Xiangning, I was fortunate enough to see Guanshui and be able to ask him about my well-being. Before, even when he saw me, he would only greet me and talk about business, and he wouldn't say a word more than that."

Even Granny Li nodded and smiled in agreement, her gaze towards Liu Xiangning carrying a hint of ambiguity.

Liu Xiangning's face, which was not easily flushed, turned bright red all at once.

She lowered her head and suddenly remembered that when Guan Shui was teaching her martial arts, he would occasionally ask her how she felt, and when they met the next day, he would ask her if she had eaten breakfast.

At the time, she didn't feel anything, but now, recalling it, Guan Shui's words did seem to be stuttering and his tone was awkward, probably because he hadn't asked others much before.

Also, she was rejected by the lady and cried as she walked away.

Guan Shui took the initiative to come over and asked her with concern what had happened. She said she wanted to drink, and Guan Shui accompanied her.

This is different from what the lady described as "viewing the water."

Could it be... that Young Master Guan Shui wants to take responsibility, not because it's fun?

Upon hearing Madam's words, Shen Mianmian gasped, "I had only heard of assassins before, but I had never learned anything about them. Today, I've truly broadened my horizons!"

Seeing that Mianmian was interested in listening, Ding told her everything she had heard from the princess: "The assassins don't have names. Their names are the year they joined the organization, plus a few numbers to indicate their order. If I remember correctly, Guanshui used to be called Ding Si Seventeen. Ding Si was the year he joined the assassin camp, and Seventeen was his order of joining in the same batch."

Sleepy ...

Lady Ding was chosen by the princess because Guan Shui looked like the prince, and even her name was chosen to match the prince's.

Chen Mianmian understood, "So that's how it is. A light boat and watching the water are indeed a good match."

Ding then realized, "Without realizing it, I've ended up chatting with you. You should go ahead and get busy; I need to get busy for a while too."

"Yes, Madam." After saying that, Shen Mianmian immediately pulled Liu Xiangning away and ran off.

A short while later,

The master and servant left the main courtyard.

Liu Xiangning asked, "Master, why are you walking so fast?"

Chen Mianmian said, "How can I not hurry? The young mistress, that strong laborer, has gone back to her parents' home, and the madam is going to start managing the household affairs again. I'm afraid she'll get carried away and make me work, but I don't want to do that! I just want to enjoy these last few months."

Liu Xiangning didn't understand—the last few months of happiness? And then what?

But soon, Xiang Ning's attention was diverted because she heard her master say, "Let's go see Guan Shui. He hasn't shown his face for so many days. Could that poor child be drowning his sorrows in alcohol and getting drunk?"