"..."

Shen Tangning looked embarrassed and remembered it too.

That must have happened when she was around twelve years old.

At that time, she was obsessed with the plots of repaying kindness in storybooks, and thus became very attached to such plots.

The thought that these were her future connections, and that some of the people she had saved would rise to prominence and later come to repay her kindness, made her even more eager to play this role.

If one isn't enough, then save a few more. Surely there are a few with potential, right?

Unexpectedly, this awkward scene was witnessed by someone. Shen Tangning felt her face flush and coughed softly, "No wonder I felt that Your Highness looked familiar when I saw you."

Jiang Zhijing scoffed coldly, "That trick doesn't work on me anymore."

Shen Tangning: "..."

Jiang Zhijing's lips curled into a half-smile: "At the time, I thought, what a scheming young lady! So adept at maneuvering at such a young age, what will she be like when she grows up?"

Shen Tangning remained expressionless: "Then have I disappointed Your Highness?"

The two looked at each other and laughed simultaneously.

Shen Tangning never expected that the chance encounters of her youth would have such a great impact on her present.

In her previous life, she only heard that the Crown Prince of Qi had died of illness, and she never heard of any Seventh Princess until her death. Did she die quietly in that cannibalistic palace?

What changed her fate in this life?

She silently studied Jiang Zhijing's features, her eyes filled with emotion, complexity, and speculation...

In the end, it all turned into a sense of relief. No matter what, it's always good to see old friends again.

Jiang Zhijing smirked, toying with a bunch of reeds in her hand: "Now you're not yelling at me to kill me anymore? Where did that fierce attitude you had when you set a trap for me at the post station go?"

Shen Tangning's eyelashes trembled: "From the perspective of both countries, I really don't want Daqing to have such a formidable opponent as Your Highness."

She paused, then smiled, "But as a friend, I hope Your Highness can survive."

Jiang Zhijing was slightly taken aback, clapped her hands, stood up, and chuckled, "Who said I'm your friend? Did I agree to that?"

Shen Tangning blinked: "Does Your Highness plan to return to Qi next?"

“Of course I will return.” Jiang Zhijing’s eyes revealed ambition, and her voice turned cold. “They do not want me to become emperor as a man, then I will accept their worship as a woman!”

Shen Tangning's heart trembled, and she stared straight at her, her eyes slightly brightening.

Jiang Zhijing and the Eldest Princess are very similar, but not entirely the same.

However, she saw the same trait in them all: ambition.

It turns out that women can also be ambitious and pursue power, even though the path is full of thorns and obstacles.

It's hard to describe the subtle feeling of that moment; it was as if some shackles had been removed from her, and she felt completely relaxed.

A small box was handed to her. Jiang Zhijing was taken aback, and asked with a playful tone, "What's this?"

Shen Tangning smiled and said, "A gift for Your Highness."

"So kind of you?" Jiang Zhijing continued, still somewhat doubtful, her tone tentative, "Then should I open it?"

The box was open, revealing a pair of exquisite moon-shaped earrings. She was caught off guard and paused, her eyes filled with complex emotions: "Why did you give me this?"

A gentle smile flickered in Shen Tangning's eyes: "If Your Highness wants people to accept you, you should first face yourself squarely."

Jiang Zhijing froze, her lips moving slightly.

It turned out that Shen Tangning knew what she was thinking. She had always refused to wear earrings because once she did, she would have to sever ties with the past, and from now on she would only be Jiang Zhijing.

In essence, she still couldn't escape the constraints that came with being a woman.

The sharp edges of the box stung her palm. Shen Tangning smiled faintly, "The princess has never cared about this. She wants power, and she also wants the right to beauty."

Jiang Zhijing snorted coldly: "Who wants to compare with her?"

The sound of horses' hooves came from afar, and Jiang Zhijing said with slight annoyance, "Tsk, someone's chasing us."