Chen Wan was so angry that she stopped taking a bath. She got out of the tub and walked to the bedside. She saw that the jade pendant was still there and had not been taken away.

Shen Wan thought Xie Jingyan had come back to retrieve the jade pendant, but it turned out he was only coming back for the brocade robe. Was it really necessary for him to come back in person for such a small matter? Couldn't he have just asked a maid?!

Whether it was because she slept too much during the day or because she was angry, Shen Wan lay in bed for more than an hour without being able to fall asleep.

For the next three days, Shen Wan and Xie Jingyan, who lived under the same roof, didn't even exchange a glance.

The weather was fine that day. After breakfast, Shen Wan sat on the small couch, intending to do needlework to pass the time. Yin Shuang, worried that she might hurt her eyes while embroidering, advised, "Your Highness hasn't been to the garden for several days. The weather is nice today, why don't we go for a stroll in the garden?"

Shen Wan remained unmoved.

Yinshuang added, "The prince has just left the manor."

Xie Jingyan went out?

Shen Wan decisively put down the embroidery hoop. "Let's go to the garden."

Shen Wan didn't particularly enjoy needlework; she just had nothing else to do to pass the time.

I haven't been here for a few days, and the flowers in the garden are blooming even more beautifully. As the weather gets warmer, there are more butterflies. Their mottled patterns flit among the exotic flowers and plants, attracting the two maids to chase after them.

After breakfast, they went to the garden. By the time they returned, it was almost lunchtime. As they stepped into the house, Yinshuang, who was following behind, asked the maidservant, "Has the Prince returned yet?"

The maid shook her head. "The prince hasn't returned yet."

Shen Wan had already stepped into the inner room, but upon hearing this, she pulled her foot back.

Xie Jingyan hadn't returned by this time, and it was highly likely he wouldn't be coming back for lunch. She had been bored these past few days and had been passing the time with needlework. Since he wasn't here, she could take the opportunity to go to the study and get a few more books she liked to read. The two books in the inner room were almost worn out from being read so many times.

Xie Jingyan only said that he was not allowed to appear in front of him, but did not say that he could not enter the study when he was not there. Shen Wan turned around and walked towards the study.

Yinshuang and Haitang looked at Shen Wan with blank expressions, then exchanged glances, wondering what the princess was going to do in the study, and could only follow her.

When the two maids entered the study, Shen Wan was already selecting books.

She looked at this shelf and that shelf, but most of the books weren't to Shen Wan's liking. She would take them down and put them back immediately. After a long time, she only managed to pick out two that she liked.

Both Yinshuang and Haitang were exhausted. Even the princess herself couldn't choose books she liked to read, so they couldn't help her even if they wanted to.

Not finding anything she liked on the lower shelves, Shen Wan looked up. Some books were out of reach, so she had to stand on tiptoe to get them. Yin Shuang moved a stool for Shen Wan, but the impatient Shen Wan jumped up to grab them, bringing down two books at once. She caught them in a fluster and almost knocked over a porcelain vase on the bookshelf.

Shen Wan also thought she would bump into the porcelain vase, but she didn't. When she touched the porcelain vase, it didn't even shake, let alone fall to the ground.

This is very abnormal.

Shen Wan put down the book and reached out to shake the porcelain bottle.

It didn't shake.

The porcelain vase looked as if it were glued to the shelf.

Shen Wan felt increasingly strange. She reached out and tried it; the porcelain bottle couldn't be shaken, but it could be rotated.

The porcelain vase spun around, and the bookshelf on the right moved automatically, revealing a small hidden compartment.

It's quite normal to have a hidden compartment in a study. This particular compartment isn't large, and you can easily see two paintings inside.

Xie Jingyan had many calligraphy and paintings in his study, and there were more in the storeroom, but the ones hidden in the secret compartment were probably not the most valuable, but they were definitely Xie Jingyan's favorites.

Shen Wan's heart was filled with restless desire.

Although she knew it was wrong to peek at someone else's paintings, Shen Wan couldn't help herself. Although she didn't know who Xie Jingyan cherished most, she had asked Xie Jingyin how he knew Xie Jingyan had someone he loved when Xie Jingyin plotted against him in her previous life. Xie Jingyin didn't hide this from her and told her that he found out when Xie Jingyan fled the capital and started an uprising in the northwest. In a fit of anger, Xie Jingyin sent people to search the Lingwang Mansion and found two portraits in Xie Jingyan's study.

The person you love is keeping it so well hidden; maybe it's these two paintings hidden in the secret compartment.

Shen Wan was so eager to know that she walked towards the hidden compartment and took out one of the paintings.

Untying the binding thread, Shen Wan slowly unfolded the painting. However, she had only just glimpsed a bit of a woman's hair bun, and hadn't even clearly seen the headdress, when a cold voice rang out, "Put the painting down!"

Shen Wan was completely focused on the painting when Xie Jingyan's voice suddenly came, startling her so much that the painting slipped from her hand and fell to the ground.

Shen Wan quickly bent down to pick up the painting, but Xie Jingyan beat her to it before she could even touch it.

Xie Jingyan quickly rolled up the painting. His handsome face was now clouded with gloom. Although it wasn't the first time he had seen Xie Jingyan with such a somber expression, he still felt a chill in his heart.

It was already wrong of her to peek at someone's hidden painting, and to be caught red-handed made Shen Wan feel like dying. It would be one thing if she could see the person in the painting, but she couldn't see anything at all.

Xie Jingyan was furious. "Who gave you permission to enter the study and rummage through my things?!"

Shen Wan knew she had been rude, but Xie Jingyan's attitude was so bad that she lost her temper. "When we got married, you said I could go anywhere in the Ling Prince's mansion!"

You can go anywhere, including the study.

Shen Wan's eyes were red, and she looked so aggrieved. Yin Shuang was frightened, afraid that Shen Wan and Xie Jingyan would quarrel, so she forcibly dragged Shen Wan away.

As I was leaving the study, I ran into Chen Feng returning. If Chen Feng hadn't dodged in time, we would have almost bumped into each other.

Yinshuang pulled Shen Wan back into the house in one breath and said earnestly, "Your Highness, please try not to make the Prince angry."

It's as if she enjoys making him angry. Shen Wan sat down angrily, only then realizing she hadn't brought her book.

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