Wang Fu, who was eavesdropping, thought: "The Shen family girl is really bold. People who used to speak to His Majesty with this attitude must be eight feet old by now."

Ji Yan had already realized what Shen Jiao had misunderstood, and found it quite amusing. This unprecedented and unfamiliar concern was novel to him, and his mood gradually calmed down, with his sudden surge of violence dissipating somewhat.

He arrived at the crack of dawn, wanting to see if Shen Jiao would reveal any flaws upon bumping into him so early in the morning. The most interesting thing would be the fear and apprehension she would show when she was caught off guard.

As a result, this stupid woman not only didn't wake up under his pressure, but slept until the sun was high in the sky, a great disgrace!

Ji Yan almost gave up on continuing the act with her, but now he changed his mind. It was rare to encounter someone with such good acting skills, and he wanted to see just how far this person could go.

“This is…” Shen Jiao’s heart softened when she saw the basin of water beside Ji Yan out of the corner of her eye. She looked at Ji Yan with a subtle emotion in her eyes. “Yan Sheng, you are too thoughtful. You brought me water to wash my face so early. If you are not feeling well, you should rest properly. I told you yesterday that I really do not need you to serve me.”

Ji Yan: Is he blind? How could he see the light of compassion in her eyes?

Wang Fu, who continued eavesdropping, said: "Is the Shen family girl's eyesight not very good? That's not wash water at all; it's clearly boiling water meant to wake her up."

Upon hearing this, Ji Yan paused for a moment, then hummed in response, his expression unusually unnatural, as if he had been caught doing something wrong. He looked out the window at the cigarette-smeared lawn, neither admitting nor denying, and remained silent.

Shen Jiao assumed he was in a bad mood because he had been punished, and asked about another matter, "By the way, didn't the envoy say that the dancer's main purpose was to win the favor of the Yan Emperor? Why did you ask me to assassinate the Yan Emperor?"

She strongly suspected internal strife within the Wei Kingdom. For example, the envoy might be acting on behalf of a certain minister, while the eunuch spy might be someone planted by another minister. The two ministers had different political views, so their ideas conflicted.

It's fine if gods fight, but it's not good if it affects someone like her, a nobody.

"What? Those ugly ducklings and cracked fruits think they can catch the eye of the Yan Emperor? Who do they think they are?" Ji Yan's originally upturned lips instantly drooped down, as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world. He waved his hand and said, "Ignore him. Listen to me. What I say goes."

"Fine." Anyway, I had no choice.

Shen Jiao had gotten used to the little eunuch's behavior of constantly praising the Yan Emperor, and even suspected that Yan Sheng might have developed feelings for the Yan Emperor over time, which turned into hatred, and that was why he was plotting to assassinate the Yan Emperor. Wow, what a tragic love story in a wealthy family!

"However, on another note," Shen Jiao asked, "don't you think the water for washing your face is a little too hot?"

Yan Sheng: "Isn't this perfect?"

"Um?"

"High-temperature sterilization".

"..."

Shen Jiao: You can't be such an easily moved idiot next time.

...

Before we knew it, the day of the banquet arrived.

Shen Jiao was so excited that she couldn't sleep all night. Today was the perfect day for her to escape! After enduring humiliation for so long, she was finally about to start a wonderful life.

Just thinking about it makes me happy.

Actually, she had a chance to escape before, but thinking that the original owner was probably a Wei person, it would be more appropriate to run to Yan to pursue the future. So, she hitched a ride with the dancer.

Shen Jiao looked out the latticed wooden window at the gray sky. It was still early. After thinking for a moment, she turned over and decided to sleep for another half a minute before getting up.

Little did I know that when I woke up again, the sun was already setting.

The sunset over Langya Pass was as beautiful as a rose veil, enveloping the green tiles and water platform, creating a dreamlike and unreal scene, with an intoxicating quality. Shen Jiao sat on the bed and pinched her thigh in disbelief. The maids who were helping her with her dressing and grooming filed in, and she suddenly came back to her senses.

She couldn't give up until the very end. A few maids were nothing to fear. Shen Jiao felt she could still run away. She quickly put on her shoes, grabbed the bundle she had packed earlier, and rushed out.

"Where are you going, young lady?" As soon as Shen Jiao stepped out of the room, a gleaming longsword was pressed against her chest, the reflected light stinging her eyes.

She stiffly turned her head, only to find a dozen or so menacing-looking guards with swords standing outside the door, a dark mass of them.

Suddenly I really want to strangle the version of myself that lingered in bed a few hours ago.

Shen Jiao, adhering to the principle that perseverance leads to victory, tried to evade the issue by saying, "Everyone has to go to the toilet, brother, please be kind enough to help me."

Having received orders not to leave the dancer's side, the guard immediately said, "I'll go with you."

Isn't that being too dedicated?

Shen Jiao smiled shyly, "...That might not be very convenient, after all, I am a young lady."

The guard replied with a shy smile, "It doesn't matter, everyone knows I'm gay."

Brother, is it really okay for you to treat me like I'm not an outsider?

Shen Jiaozhen was truly impressed: "...Big brother is quite straightforward."

She sighed inwardly, thinking that even if the guards were gay, she couldn't beat them.

As the saying goes, "Where there's life, there's hope," Shen Jiao immediately said she could hold back a little longer. She picked up her bundle and returned to her room, where the maids who had been waiting for a long time immediately swarmed around her.

There were definitely no maids serving them before. They were dancers from the Wei Kingdom, of low status, and even in the Great Yan realm, they were considered servants. But today they were going to meet the Yan Emperor, who was the supreme ruler, so naturally they had to dress up properly to avoid offending the noble emperor's eyes and being killed with a single blow.

Shen Jiao was in low spirits, like a soulless puppet at the mercy of the maids.

She vowed never to sleep in again, really.

...

One hour later.

After getting ready, Shen Jiao was led by her maid to the front hall. This was the first time she had left the courtyard since Langya Pass. Looking around, she saw a nine-turn corridor inlaid with gold and jade, a small bridge with ancient wood carvings and flowing water, and rare flowers and exotic plants vying for beauty. It was estimated that a lot of money had been spent to take care of the newly built mansion of the Yan Emperor. Even the lamps for lighting the roadside were inlaid with luminous pearls the size of porcelain bowls.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!