"Your Highness?!"

He looked at Shen Wangshu with the most humble and pitiful gaze, as if the arrogance and weariness he had shown in front of the Third Princess in his previous life had never existed.

Shen Wangshu slowly bent down, looked at the boy who showed a hint of hope, smiled, and reached out to pry open his fingers one by one under his nervous gaze.

"You've fallen for the wrong person," she said calmly.

If the Second Princess's feelings for Nianyu in this life are nothing special, then how much genuine affection could she have had in the previous life?

If this young man had not betrayed the Third Princess's love and had not betrayed Xiao Wangjun, who had been so good to him, perhaps Shen Wangshu would not have appeared in this world, and perhaps this young man's life would have been different.

He could have had a wife who loved him dearly, and a brother of noble birth, under whose protection he could have lived a happy and glorious life. Even if he had married the second princess who became empress, would he truly have been happy?

The Second Princess is so narrow-minded. Even if she marries him as her principal wife as promised many years later, does she really not care about the feelings between him and the Third Princess over the years? The Empress's harem has countless beautiful men, some of noble birth, others who have borne children for the Empress. What does Nianyu, who has nothing, amount to with just the title of Phoenix Lord?

“Your Highness…” Nianyu’s voice was weak and pitiful.

As time passed, even if it felt like a dream, he remembered that the Third Princess liked him calling her that, and she would give up anything for that one call.

Shen Wangshu simply smiled, stood up and leaned on Fang Xuan's strong shoulder, raising an eyebrow at the nervous eldest princess.

The eldest princess breathed a sigh of relief, but fearing that her younger sister might have noticed Nianyu, she hurriedly dragged him away. Of course, she wouldn't send Nianyu to the second princess's residence at this time, otherwise she would be in a difficult position. She simply ordered someone to leave him outside an empty inn.

Nianyu knelt listlessly to one side for a long time, carrying his gifts. He had nowhere to go and knew that the First Princess was so heartless that there was no turning back. Trembling with fear, he thought of the Second Princess, his only remaining support. But he knew the Second Princess's temperament to some extent.

His arrival in such a wretched state will likely cause the Second Princess to...

He was not content to be just a concubine.

He was a clear-headed person. He bit his lip hard, and a faint determination appeared on his beautiful face. He didn't go to the inn, and didn't even ask for his luggage. After inquiring about the Jingbei Marquis's residence, he went there.

It was the dead of night when a thin, frail, and destitute young man appeared alone at the gates of the Jingbei Marquis's residence, much to everyone's surprise.

The Immortal Healer of Ten Thousand Flowers.

What's even more surprising is that this young man claims to be the Second Princess's beloved and requests an audience with the young master of the Jingbei Marquis's residence.

He'd be lucky to see her if he wanted to; he didn't see the young master, but he did see the Marquis of Jingbei and several of his daughters, whose faces were extremely grim. They sat at the head of the main hall, looking down at the cowering Nianyu with disdainful expressions. Nianyu, who had never experienced such disgust before, felt a chill run through her body.

He didn't know how he had fallen into such a helpless and desperate situation. He could only rub the hem of his clothes with his slender white fingers, and slowly take out a jade pendant from his pocket and whisper, "This is a token between me and His Highness."

Marquis Jingbei accepted it calmly, then frowned.

This jade pendant was exclusively for the Empress's daughter. It was made from the finest mutton-fat jade and crafted by the best artisans with the most exquisite designs, making it impossible to imitate.

This jade pendant is a symbol of the princess's status. Seeing the pendant is like seeing the princess herself, as if they were sisters from the same mother, sharing a deep understanding. The eldest princess gave the pendant to Prince Xiao, while the third princess, Prince Luan, received hers...

It's dangling around General Fang's waist.

Marquis Jingbei was the Empress's study companion and a close minister of the Emperor, so of course he would recognize this person.

"This was given to me by His Highness," Nianyu said nervously.

Well... back when the Second Princess was having an affair at the First Princess's villa, she naturally wanted to take off her clothes. Afterwards, the First Princess came and beat the Second Princess up. The Second Princess was scolded like a dog and was too busy running away to care about the little things around her. So the jade pendant ended up in Nianyu's hands.

He had seen a similar jade pendant on Prince Xiao and knew it was the princess's most prized possession, which was why he used it as proof. He timidly said, "Your Highness said you only love me, therefore, therefore..."

His eyes were red.

Marquis Jingbei smiled nonchalantly.

"So what?" Unlike her daughters, who would angrily berate the Second Princess, she asked gently.

Nianyu looked up, staring at her in disbelief.

"I know that Your Highness's son has been betrothed by His Majesty. I dare not compete with you, but I beg you to grant me permission to enter the manor and serve His Highness!" Nianyu gritted her teeth, not expecting that Marquis Jingbei would remain so composed, and had no choice but to kneel down and plead.

"Bullshit!" the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Jingbei cursed. "You dare to show off in front of my brother?! Mother!" She turned around abruptly and shouted at the smiling Marquis of Jingbei, "How can we marry my brother to someone like the Second Princess?!"

Before the wedding even takes place, one little vixen after another comes knocking on the door. How will things go in the future? The eldest daughter of the Marquis of Jingbei thought it would be better to just kill the Second Princess. Her eyes flashed with a fierce light, but the Marquis of Jingbei didn't take it seriously at all, and said casually, "She's just a lowly servant. Your brother is the Emperor. Competing with her would be beneath your dignity. After all, she was once favored by the Second Prince. We mustn't damage the relationship between us and the Second Prince."

She smiled at Nianyu and then ordered someone to send him to the Second Princess.

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!