Gan Qiongying was really sleepy; she was a bald little darling who wouldn't sleep until the moon did.

But since I traveled through time, what can I do at night in this ancient world with its lack of entertainment facilities?

She did have a group of male lovers in her backyard to entertain her, but Gan Qiongying was extremely cautious and afraid of making any mistakes, so she dared not engage in any entertainment.

Fortunately, since her transmigration, she had stayed in the mansion for a long time under the pretext of recuperating from her injuries, which allowed her to gradually learn about a part of this dynasty and also to learn about the true character of Princess Duanrong through subtle means.

Otherwise, if she had faced a situation like this right after transmigrating, she wouldn't have just given herself away; she would have revealed the legs of a centipede, exposing as many as she could, leaving none hidden.

Although she still has only a vague understanding of this world, she can at least act. In addition, Princess Duanrong herself is aloof and exudes an aura that keeps strangers at bay. By imitating her, she has managed to put on a perfect performance.

At this moment, she looked with little interest at the groups of women not far away. Among them, surrounded by noble ladies, was none other than Princess Xue'e, the apple of the eye of the King of Jingxi.

It's said that people look even more beautiful under lamplight, and the female lead truly lives up to her title; she is indeed pure and beautiful.

At this moment, she and the women around her frequently turned their heads to look at the men not far away.

At the railing along the Huishui River, surrounded by men, stood Zhongli Zhengzhen, the host of tonight's banquet.

The male and female protagonists were not far apart, admiring the lanterns together by the railing, watching the dance under the lanterns, their laughter and cheerful voices filling the air, and the sounds of string and wind instruments touching their hearts.

This is truly... spring has barely passed, and already a passionate flame of love has been ignited.

Even from this distance, Gan Qiongying could see that their eyes were practically locked in a passionate embrace, like colorful ribbons dancing in the wind on a pleasure boat. They seemed to want to be inseparable, never staying still.

You are the wind, I am the sand; if I don't seduce you, you're blind.

Gan Qiongying just wanted to go home and sleep, but there were still scenes to film, and she was afraid she would have a heart attack and die tonight if she went back.

So she had no choice but to endure the toothache and wait and wait.

finally!

After Gan Qiongying couldn't resist taking a nap with her elbows propped up on the table, many of the banquet guests left.

As the moon rose high in the sky, Gan Qiongying woke up from an incredibly vivid dream, breaking out in a cold sweat.

She dreamt that Zhongli Zhengzhen was dragging her along behind a horse with a cold expression, and that she kept begging him to save her.

who is he?

In the story, being dragged along by Zhongli is the final fate of the disfigured princess, which is tragic but also very satisfying.

But Princess Duanrong was already in such a predicament, and she still wanted to save people? Who could she save?

After Gan Qiongying woke up, she quickly grabbed a bowl of cold soup from the table and drank it.

After drinking the greasy, cold soup, she did feel more energetic, but she also felt a little nauseous.

She shook her head, trying to pull herself out of that dream; it was too real… It must be because she had always been afraid of ending up like Princess Duanrong in the original book, and her thoughts were becoming a dream…

The maidservant who came to serve her today was Yinyue. When she saw Gan Qiongying suddenly wake up, she immediately stepped forward. Although she didn't have time to stop her from drinking the cold soup, she did bring her some mouthwash.

He gently reminded her, "Princess, it's getting late. It's time to head back. People from the Princess's residence have come to fetch you."

Gan Qiongying was still recalling those terrifying, almost dreamlike experiences.

Reminded by Yin Yue, he immediately snapped out of his daze and realized with a start that he still had a part of the story to tell!

She suddenly stood up from the table and looked towards the Huishui River. Sure enough, all the hustle and bustle had come to an end, the lights were dim, and at this moment, only one person was standing by the railing of the Huishui River!

That was Zhongli Zhengzhen.

Gan Qiongying was the only one left at the banquet.

After Gan Qiongying got up, Zhong Lizheng turned to look at her. In the dim light, Gan Qiongying saw that he seemed to be smiling, but that smile was really uncomfortable.

"Go and find out how long the female guests have been gone, especially Princess Xue'e," Gan Qiongying instructed Yin Yue in a low voice. Yin Yue then left two maids behind and quickly went to inquire.

Gan Qiongying looked at Zhongli Zhengzhen, who was walking towards her with a slightly contemptuous and arrogant smile on his face.

Standing a short distance in front of her, his gaze lingered on her with a rather aggressive intensity before he asked, "The princess is awake?"

His voice is deep and pleasant; Gan Qiongying had heard it before.

But when he spoke, his voice was light and airy, carrying an unsettling meaning that sent chills down one's spine.

She glanced at Zhongli Zhengzhen, then reached out to support her head. Two maids immediately stepped forward, one on each side, to support Gan Qiongying.

Gan Qiongying frowned imperceptibly and whispered, "I accidentally fell asleep. My apologies."

Her gaze followed Zhong Lizheng's handsome, aggressive face downwards and landed once again on the jade pendant at his waist.

She remembered that this was indeed hers, a piece of jade given to her by the emperor, which she always wore and was worth far more than a thousand gold pieces.

Gan Qiongying felt regretful, but it seemed like it wouldn't work out today. She still had scenes to film, and Yin Yue hadn't returned yet... Could it be that the female lead really ran away?

Shouldn't the male and female protagonists be inseparable and flirting on such a day?

Gan Qiongying was extremely anxious, mainly because she was afraid that the plot would not proceed as planned, and her heart began to ache again.

But you can't blame her for falling asleep. After all, the male and female leads were practically glued to each other, yet they didn't find a place to chat alone.

If they were just looking for a place to chat alone, she could just rush up and shove the female lead, wouldn't that solve everything!

Gan Qiongying never wanted to waste her own time, and her eyes held a hint of resentment as she looked at Zhongli Zhengzhen.

Little did he know that she was still intoxicated, her face flushed, her phoenix eyes alluring, and she glared at him with a mixture of shyness and resentment. Even Zhongli Zhengzhen, who had great ambitions in mind, couldn't help but be momentarily stunned.

He had already planned everything for today. The best river-view room at the inn by the Hui River had been booked in advance. He intended to let Duanrong taste some sweetness tonight so that she would stop bothering the prince consort and become even more devoted to him.

A great man must make sacrifices to achieve great things. He disliked women who always appeared foolish and silly. Women should be reserved and dignified. No man would like a frivolous and seductive woman.

During the daytime preparations for the banquet, Zhongli Zhengzhen was still filled with disgust.

However, she arrived late at night, and when she did, she looked depressed. She didn't bother him or cause any trouble for the other women, which actually lessened Zhongli's annoyance.

Moreover, he discovered that Duanrong had become cleverer. She knew that he wouldn't fall for her constant pestering, so she used a strategy of retreating to advance, and even knew to pretend to be drunk, thus legitimately dragging the banquet to the very end...

Zhongli looked at her feigned sleepiness and saw her glaring at him with a hint of unspoken resentment. It was clear that she had deliberately waited until now tonight, and what she wanted to do was self-evident.

He was, after all, a princess, and still a woman; for him to ask for pleasure again was indeed asking too much.

Zhongli narrowed his eyes, then curled his lips into a smile. He raised his hand to brush away the stray hairs by her temple when Gan Qiongying heard footsteps. She turned around and, sure enough, found that Yinyue had returned.

Gan Qiongying immediately turned around to greet Yinyue, and leaned to Yinyue's lips to hear her say that Princess Xue'e's carriage was still parked at the corner at the end of the street and had not left.

Yinyue added, "There are also Princess Xue'e's people not far from here."

Yinyue paused for a moment, then boldly said, "Princess, I think Princess Xue'e's people are monitoring your movements."

Upon hearing this, Gan Qiongying couldn't help but laugh, and the heart stone immediately fell to the ground.

Wen Xueling was not monitoring her movements at all.

She was just waiting to see how her ideal husband would treat her, this persistent woman, which was why she refused to leave.

That's perfect... She was just thinking about how difficult it would be if Wen Xueling really ran away while she was sleeping, and she broke into Wen Xueling's bedroom in the middle of the night, dragged her out, and pushed her into the lotus pond.

Gan Qiongying turned around after a few steps, glanced at Zhongli Zhengzhen, and didn't understand why his expression suddenly turned as cold as ice in the blink of an eye.

Of course, she didn't see that he had just missed, and awkwardly dropped the item, still clutching his hand tightly inside his sleeve.

“Um…” Gan Qiongying hesitated for a moment, then scratched her temple a little embarrassedly.

Zhongli was very unhappy about being ignored. It was only after Gan Qiongying unconsciously avoided him that he realized he had been bewitched by her when the mountain wind blew.

The pleasure he wanted from her tonight certainly didn't involve anything physical.

Instead, he obtained a drug that, when taken, could produce extremely realistic hallucinations. With a little guidance, he could make her mistakenly believe that his infatuation had been reciprocated, thus keeping her occupied for a while longer.

However, Zhongli Zhengzhen quickly composed himself and immediately said with concern, "It's too late, Princess. Why don't you rest at the Huishui Inn by the Huishui River?"

Zhongli Zhengzhen said, "I have already ordered someone to prepare a superior room for the princess."

As he spoke, he took a step forward as planned.

His expression was ambiguous, and his eyes were not innocent enough, making it difficult for Gan Qiongying not to think in that direction.

However, when Gan Qiongying heard what he said and saw him step forward, she subconsciously took a half step back.

Zhong Li Zhengzhen: "..." Was she serious about taking a half step back?